personality; character; individuality; personhood
to surpass; to outstrip; to excel
classic example; classic case; textbook example; representative example; typical case
to study (in depth); to learn; to take lessons in
to not match well (e.g. at the seams); to not mesh properly (of gears); to differ (e.g. of opinions); to clash; to be in conflict (e.g. with the facts)
to get one's head around; to think about
special; auspicious; happy; naive; innocent; good-natured
thorough; exhaustive; complete
to ill-treat; to bully; to torment; to be tough on (e.g. one's body); to treat harshly
hostility; antagonism; opposition
dirty work; unpleasant task
isolation; being alone; being friendless
dodgy dealings; monkey business
one digit; one column; the "ones" column
to believe implicitly; to believe firmly
occasionally; once in a while; seldom; casually; unexpectedly; accidentally
to get worse; to deteriorate; to go from bad to worse; to spoil (of food); to go bad; to perish
to return to normal; to revert to the starting point; to go back to how it was
last (i.e. immediately preceding); previous; pre- (e.g. premodern); before; before; earlier
to take back; to regain; to get back; to recover
a day after the fair; (at a) stage when it's too late
nest; rookery; den; haunt; (spider's) web
lineage; pedigree; family line; birth
one's hand (when playing cards); name tag; nameplate; wallet-sized (photo)
(school) period; period or division of time; time limit
amateur; layman; respectable woman (i.e. not a prostitute, hostess, geisha); (arch.) unlicensed prostitute
to employ; to hire; to charter
to outwit; to outmanoeuvre; to steal a march on; to get the jump on; to anticipate; to forestall
disappearance; running away; going missing; absconding
to take the form (of); to assume a shape
to insert; to put in (such that there is a snug fit); to have sex; to fuck; to pigeonhole (into a particular category); to place a ring-shaped object around something (esp. one that restricts freedom, such as handcuffs)
surely (not); certainly (not)
rescue; extricate; reclaim; deliverance
explosive increase (in number of pests); (severe) outbreak or upsurge of pests
because of; owing to; due to
stinginess; miserliness; shabby; cheap; petty; narrow-minded
war potential; military strength; fighting power; ability (to compete); capabilities; valuable asset
to shave off; to scrape off
to be betrayed; to be brought to grief (by an enemy); to be given a hard time
finally; in the end; on top of all that
poisoning; kill by poison