lightning strike; thunderbolt; bolt of lightning; to strike (lightning); to be struck by lightning
to exchange glances; to look at each other; to postpone; to put off; to contrast; to compare
postponement; deferment; adjournment
godsend; gift from providence
idea; plan; draft; rough copy; expectation; (arch.) desk
estimate (of costs); budget
demand; firm request; requisition; requirement; desire
control; management (e.g. of a business)
committee; commission; board; panel; committee meeting
occasionally; once in a while; now and then; rarely; seldom
attentive; scrupulous; tactful; tasteful; smart
alright; all right; right on; looking good; OK; okay
quickly; at once; right away; hurriedly
to tidy up; to put in order; to settle (problem); to clear (dispute); to finish; to bring something to an end
decision of a contest; finals (in sports)
to be in time (for); to serve (suit, meet) the purpose; to be good enough; to be enough
to wither (of flowers, dreams, etc.); to wilt; to droop; to shrivel; to fade (away); to sag
capacity; volume; capacitance
restoration; rehabilitation; recovery; recovery (from an illness); recuperation; convalescence
even if I say so myself; for me (to do such a thing)
cash; ready money; money on hand; mercenary; self-interested; calculating
good-for-nothing; spineless; gutless; spiritless; feckless; pluckless
to collapse; to crumble; to get out of shape; to lose one's shape; to break down; to be thrown into disarray; to crash (stock market)
intently; single-mindedly; devotedly; solely; earnestly; with all one's heart
to curse; to put a curse on; to detest intensely
trouble; bother; annoyance; to be troubled (by); to be bothered (by); to be inconvenienced (by)
to grow long (e.g. hair, nails); to lengthen; to extend; to reach out; to hold out; to straighten; to smooth out
hotel expenses; expenses incurred during a stay
not insignificant; not to be sneezed at
happy; glad; pleased; joyful; delightful; gratifying
now that you mention it; come to think of it; that reminds me; on that subject; speaking of which
serious; severe; grave; acute
is something wrong?; what's wrong?; what's the matter?; slightest; mere; trivial
to dart one's eyes about; to be surprised; to be bewildered; to be confused; to be flustered
to bark; to howl; to howl (e.g. of the wind); to roar; to yell; to cry
certainly; surely; undoubtedly; just; precisely; exactly
just like; (virtually) no different from; (almost) the same as; as good as (e.g. dead, settled)
easy; simple; there's no way that ...
all one has; all one's possessions
to tear off; to peel off; to rip off; to strip off; to skin; to flay
continent; continental Asia (esp. mainland China); continental Europe