holding a castle (during a siege); holing up; confinement (to one's home); staying at home; staying indoors
war; battle; match; game; competition
abandonment; renunciation; resignation; abdication (responsibility, right)
severe; harsh; hard; cruel; rigorous
evacuation; withdrawal; revocation; repeal; retreat
at leisure; in a relaxed manner; in a carefree manner; quietly; peacefully
obligation; duty; charge; responsibility
rural area; countryside; the sticks; hometown
green; greenery (esp. fresh verdure)
to be a match for; to rival; to equal; to compare with; to be equivalent to
elite; best; pick; cream of the crop
to raise (to maturity); to bring up; to rear; to train; to educate
same; similar; (just) like; equal
to stick to; to cling to; to adhere to
glaringly; dazzlingly; blazingly
these guys; these fellows
originally; primarily; essentially; intrinsically; proper; rightful
first lieutenant; lieutenant junior grade
to stroke; to caress; to brush gently; to comb (hair); to smooth down
to pass (of time); to elapse
home town; birthplace; native place; (arch.) ruins; (arch.) historic remains
echo; reverberation; sound (esp. the distinctive sound of an object or activity, e.g. rain, gun, gallop, drum); noise; quality of a sound (e.g. a fine phrase, clear voice, resonant bell); feeling of a sound
sudden; abrupt; urgent; pressing; steep; sharp; rapid
to grow up; to become an adult; to become big; to grow in size
shield; buckler; escutcheon; pretext
(common) soldier; rank and file; army; troops; warfare; strategy
to cross over; to go across; to extend; to cover; to range
to set a ladder up against
to fire (gun, arrow, questions, etc.); to shoot; to set free; to release; to emit (e.g. light); to give off (e.g. a scent)
attack; assault; raid; criticism; censure; denunciation
start; commencement; beginning; initiation
to tell; to inform; to announce; to indicate; to signal; to mark
fat; fatty; grand; magnificent; excellent
almost; roughly; approximately
simultaneous; concurrent; same time; synchronous; together
simultaneously; all at once; in unison
diagonally upward; (going in a) completely unexpected direction (of a story, result, etc.)