to sharpen; to grind; to whet; to hone; to make keen
sympathy; agreement with; alignment; conformity; tuning
strange; odd; peculiar; queer; curious
blow; shock; strike; batting
incomprehensible; nonsensical; puzzling; mysterious; meaningless
to spoil; to ruin; to destroy; to make a mess of
to take (someone) by surprise; to do something unexpected
breakdown of negotiations
to take a step backward; to step back (i.e. to re-think something); to distance oneself (from); to behave humbly; to budge (a little); to make one concession
to regain one's footing; to get back on one's feet; to recover; (of the market) to improve
with difficulty; faltering; tottering; awkward
seeming like an excuse; seeming like a justification; defensive; in an apologetic tone
petty underling; small fry
sharp parting remark; parting threat
to continue to do; to persist in doing
to put an end to something; to get something over with; to quit something one has been engaged in too long or to an excessive degree
to hit hard; to punch hard; to give a hard blow; to wallop; to sock
to freeze (from fear, etc.); to be unable to move (e.g. from surprise); to be paralyzed (with horror, etc.); to cower; to shrink in on oneself
to make a fist; to clench one's fist
rash; thoughtless; careless; hasty; imprudent
to pour water (into); to dilute with water; to hinder; to hamper; to throw cold water on
it is I who should say so
don't worry about it; forget about it
sorting; arrangement; liquidation; settlement; retrenchment; curtailment
to smoke; to breathe in; to suck; to sip; to absorb; to soak up
as one wishes; the way one wants; to one's satisfaction
to become defiant; to fight back; to turn upon; to take the offensive
to pile up; to stack up; to accumulate
wedge; chock; linchpin; tie; bond
to drive in (e.g. nail, stake); to hammer in; to hit (a ball, etc.); to drive; to fire into (e.g. a crowd); to launch (e.g. missiles); to input (data)
wide turn; detour; the long way around
to follow; to come along with one; to accompany
sure to ...; certain to ...; bound to ...; it's natural that ...
to put someone to trouble
good prospects; full of hope; promising
management; administration; operation
to be overproduced; to be incredibly good (e.g. for a child); to go much better than expected; to be too good to be true (of a story, etc.)
to lead; to take the initiative; to take precedence (e.g. sadness taking precedence over anger); to be most essential
newcomer; initiate; rookie
fame; reputation; popularity; rumour (rumor); talk
to participate in; to take part in; to play a part in; to receive; to be given; to enjoy
applicant; candidate; person interested in doing something; person wanting to do something; interested party; volunteer
affiliate; member; entrant; participant; (telephone) subscriber