slapping; splashing; splatting; banging shut; flat (refusal, denial, etc.)
indefinite; hazy; vague; unsettled; undecided
standing in a row; forming a line; alignment
rank (of troops); file; column; formation
(moment of) departure; (upon) leaving; retirement
carefree; buoyant; lighthearted; ease
willingness (e.g. to do something); eagerness; motivation; inspiration; determination; high aspirations
schoolyard; playground; school grounds; campus
to spread out; to lay out; to take a position; to impose widely (e.g. over a city)
constant attendance; uninterrupted supervision; staying with someone all the time
(not) so much; (not) that much
training; education; development; cultivation
plaster cast; cast; gypsum; plaster-of-paris
each place; various places
really (seem, appear, etc.); truly; evidently; in that way
a matter of course; what is to be expected; par for the course
handmade; homegrown; hand-crafted; homemade
present; gift; to give a present or gift
slovenly (appearance, work, etc.); sloppy; untidy; weak; feeble; weak-willed
excess or deficiency; too much or too little
supercompensation; overcompensation
experiential; empirical; experimental
laying one's head in someone's lap; using someone's lap for a pillow
impossible; unlikely; improbable
to view the past with nostalgia
reflection; reconsideration; introspection; regret; repentance; remorse
it does not mean that ...; I don't mean that ...; it is not the case that...
hating to lose; unyielding; unbending; competitive; sore loser; determined
you could say; you might say; verging on the
to become possible; to become able to (do)
challenge; defiance; dare; attempt; try
starting point; origin; origin (of coordinate axes); datum point
to concern; to be related
thorough; exhaustive; complete
to throw down; to throw out; to abandon; to resign; to give freely; to give generously