thief; robber; burglar; bandit
to become used to the (ways of the) world; to become worldly or sophisticated
to arrive at (after a struggle); to finally reach; to find one's way to; to finally hit on (e.g. an idea)
mouth; lips; shape of the mouth; near an entrance; vicinity of an entrance
colour; color; complexion; skin colour; look (on one's face); expression; appearance
to float; to be suspended; to rise to the surface; to appear; to come to mind; to have inspiration
king; queen; monarch; the Crown (as a focus of authority in the UK, etc.); the throne
whether or not (in phrases like "I don't know whether or not I can come")
certainly; of course; even if; no matter (who, what, when, where, why, how); without even; without so much as; at the (least, earliest, etc.)
private funds; own funds; private property
throwing in; inserting; investment; commitment (of funds, personnel, etc.); launching (a product into the market); introduction
estimate (of costs); budget
new; novel; fresh; recent; latest; up-to-date
in addition; furthermore; above (which); on top of (which)
high salary earner; high income earner; well-paid employee; highly-paid; in the top salary bracket
300; three hundred; 300 mon; trifling amount; shyster
dozens; scores of; decades
10^8; 100,000,000; hundred million
property; fortune; means; assets
to have; to possess; to own; to be endowed with
strange; weird; wonder; mystery; cleverness; adroitness
retainer; subject; vassal; servant
exhaustion; consumption; using up; dissipation; waste
restoration; restitution; rehabilitation
will; probably; may; I think; surely; I hope
loss; damage; harm; disadvantage; handicap; drawback
unexpected; unforeseen; strange
dragon (as depicted in Western myths)
nesting hole; burrow; den
to attack; to assail; to succeed (someone in a post, role, etc.); to make a sudden visit
loss (of weight or volume, e.g. in transit); ullage; outage; decrease (in value); reduction
to go back to the start; to reset; to restore; to return to the point (of a discussion); to return something (that has been moved) to previous place; to reconstitute
death; mortality; to die; to pass away
annihilation; total destruction; complete destruction; crushing defeat
to hang up (e.g. a coat, a picture on the wall); to let hang; to put on (e.g. a blanket); to put on top of; to put on (glasses, etc.); to wear (a necklace, etc.); to make (a call)
dragon (esp. a Chinese dragon); naga; semi-divine human-cobra chimera in Hindu and Buddhist mythology; promoted rook
ancient times; distant past; antiquity
cause; seed; variety; kind; counter for varieties
medium; mediocrity; average
check; checkmate; stave off; control; restraint; inhibit
to mince; to cut fine; to carve; to engrave; to tick away (time); to beat out (e.g. rhythm); to etch (into one's mind)