hospitality; reception; treatment; (light) refreshment; entertaining with food and drink; treat
to strain (one's ears, eyes); to prick up (one's ears)
at this stage; at this point; now (contrasting with the past)
something heard for the first time; hearing something for the first time
direct talks; direct negotiations; talking to somebody in person
presence; sitting with; being with
idea; thought; discretion; forgiveness; pardon
elite; best; pick; cream of the crop
to be astonished to hear; to be incredulous about; to express disbelief; who do you think you're kidding by saying (that); what a laugh!
scornful laughter; ridicule; derision; sneer
nuclear fission; karyokinesis (division of a cell nucleus during mitosis or meiosis)
nanosecond; billionth of a second; ns
lack of uniformity; unevenness; imbalance; inequality; disproportion
slightest connection; slender connection; sliver (e.g. of hope); one thread
inaccurate; indistinct; imprecise; unclear; indecisive
remedial measure; countermeasure; counter-measure; relief measure; remedy
to be unable to do; to find something difficult to do
urban area; urban district
to roughen (e.g. one's attitude); to raise (one's voice)
Nazi; Nationalsozialist; Nazi Party
fort; stronghold; fortification
above all else; more than anything
to fabricate; to invent; to make up (a story); to cobble up; to put together in a hurry
(using) one's whole body; (putting in) all one's efforts; (exerting) all one's energies
jostle; struggle; scuffle
foolhardiness; recklessness; savage valour; savage valor; brute courage
to sacrifice oneself; to die a martyr
being stuck between a rock and a hard place; being in a dilemma; being torn between conflicting demands
to stand in the way (esp. with legs spread out); to block the way; to stand in the way (e.g. of progress); to obstruct
fort; fortress; stronghold; fortification