to speak badly (of); to speak ill (of); to bad-mouth
spine; backbone; spinal column
relation; connection; relevance
awareness of things around one; ability to understand what is going on around oneself; judgment; judgement; discretion
miserable; pitiable; shameful; deplorable; pathetic
optical illusion; hallucination; misapprehension; delusion
right beside; close to; nearby
distance; perspective; far and near; here and there
clue; lead; key; handhold; hold
unanticipated; unexpected
scrap lumber; piece of wood
galvanized sheet iron; galvanised sheet iron
to stick; to paste; to stretch; to spread; to form (e.g. ice on a pond); to fill; to swell
(time of) emergency; (in) event of emergency; (in) case of emergency
in preparation (for); in case (of); in the lead-up (to)
important position; strategic point; important point; main point; essentials
establishment; institution; installation (of a machine or equipment)
to lean against; to set against
in a hurry; hastily; in feverish haste
to come loose; to come untied; to come undone; to loosen up (e.g. tension)
to come apart; to unravel; to come loose; to become disarrayed (e.g. hair)
wrong direction; different direction (from what one expected)
having one's hands full; not having any room to do more; at the limit
no skin off my nose; somebody else's problem; (lit.) fire on the opposite shore
to dance (orig. a whirling dance); to flutter about; to revolve
twist; spin; ingenuity; sophistication (e.g. of writing style); wrapped offering (of money); twisting throw
moment to quit; way to quit
to know; to understand; to be aware of; to consent; to agree
patent; one's specialty (party piece, etc.)
master; teacher; stable master
worry; care; concern; ennui; boredom
to guess; to sense; to presume; to sympathize with; to sympathise with
for the time being; for the present; immediate; present; for some time (after); current account
duck; easy mark; sucker; sitting duck
ill will; malice; evil intent