lapis lazuli blue; bright blue; azure
management; (executive) staff; leaders; leadership; top brass; upper echelons
rank; ranking order; hierarchy
to sit in a row; to be arrayed
powerful person; influential person
pasturing; letting (an animal) run loose; letting (someone) do as they please; leaving (something) to take its own course; letting (an issue) go unchecked
very great; enormous; serious
to exert (influence); to exercise; to cause (e.g. damage); to do (e.g. harm); to bring about (e.g. benefits); to extend
great cause; moral law; justice
I; me; oneself; (arch.) you; (arch.) prefix indicating familiarity or contempt
arguments for and against; pros and cons; mixed reception; mixed reviews
nothing but; none other than
to meet fortuitously (e.g. running into an old friend); to meet by chance; to happen across
to raise; to bring up; to rear; to cultivate; to foster; to nurture
eager; earnest; ardent; OFF (on switch)
to tell all; to give a full account
even a little; any at all; if only a little; no matter how little
predecessor; pioneer; ancestor
protection; defense; providence; amulet; charm
to pull up; to drag up; to increase; to raise (e.g. taxes); to withdraw; to leave; to promote (someone to a higher position)
to be understood; to be comprehended; to be grasped; to become clear; to be known; to be discovered
under custody; under supervision; undecided match; draw; tie
to invite; to ask; to beckon; to wave someone in; to call in; to send for
whole story; full picture; full particulars
under the orders of; by order (command)
private; confidential; informal; secret; (within the) family circle; (on the) inside
as a matter of fact; actually; effectively; in reality; in effect
a short while ago; already
work; labor; achievement; performance; salary; income
to be careful; to be discreet; to do in moderation; to refrain (from overdoing); to be reverent; to be purified
encouragement; spurring (on); cheering (on)
association; fellowship; change (of season, year, etc.)
influential person; powerful person; big wheel; big gun; power behind the throne
array; muster; line-up; full force
to get into a panic; to be flustered; to panic; to get in a flap
no matter what; whatever happens; in any situation; rain or shine
to hold fast; to protect to the end
indecisive; irresolute; shilly-shally; vacillating
slowly; tardily; complaining; grumbling; unsettled (e.g. weather); loose
merit; success; meritorious deed; achievement; accumulated experience