beyond expectations; beyond what one expected; not foreseen; exceeding assumptions
(something) has never occurred; to have never done (something); such a thing has not happened; never happens; there is never a time when
to be affected; to put on airs; to act like (something one isn't); to pretend to be
flat; level; flat (e.g. in 10 seconds flat); exactly; flat; flat
suspicious-looking; shady; questionable; dubious; fishy
domestic discord; internal discord; internal strife; internal struggle; infighting
resentment; grudge; malice; matter for regret; regret
inquiry into; enquiry into; prying (into); investigation; search; exploration
in preparation (for); in case (of); in the lead-up (to)
immediately; instantly; with nary a pause; without a moment's delay
to hug someone close; to hold someone tight; to embrace closely
ardent; passionate; vehement
public and private; official and personal; government and people
... the heck (e.g. "what the heck?"); ... in the world (e.g. "why in the world?"); ... on earth (e.g. "who on earth?")
to straighten oneself; to straighten one's clothes and one's posture; to adopt a more serious attitude
thankfully; fortunately; luckily; thanks to your (his, their, everyone's, etc.) kindness; thanks to your assistance; thanks to your support
to be able to manage somehow or another
year in, year out; always; 24-7
big-shot; influential person; happy face; smiling face; sympathetic attitude; getting along with
meeting; rendezvous; encounter; confluence
at leisure; in a relaxed manner; in a carefree manner; quietly; peacefully
filling (up) a hole; filling in (for a gap, vacancy, etc.); stopgap; making up (for a loss, damage, etc.); covering (a deficit); cloze deletion (test format)
to hunt out; to flush out; to round up; to impress; to recruit
several times; a few times
out-of-school; off-campus
declaration of death; pronouncing someone to be dead
untraceable; long lost; one's whereabouts being unknown
it's no big deal; it's no problem; it's nothing to worry about; safe (and sound); all right
prophet; predictor; prognosticator
in a manner of speaking; as it were; so to speak; if you like; per se
perception; intuition; the sixth sense
substitute; replacement; stand-in; proxy; compensation; exchange
capable person; talented person; human resources; personnel
pitiful; unfortunate; poor; unpardonable; regrettable
the person in question; prominent figure; distinguished person; that person
to relax one's efforts; to let up; to let one's guard down
treacherous; dangerous; untrustworthy; sneaky; cunning
(not so) much; (not) very
searching; hunting for news story; journalist