to be crushed; to be squashed (flat); to be discouraged
touché; you've got me there
society; the world; the times
to hit a nerve; to go for the throat; to touch a sore spot
worst; horrible; horrid; in the worst case; if worst comes to worst
to take a long hard look at; to look (someone) full in the face
loser; defeated person; the defeated
such; this sort of; like this
scaffold; scaffolding; foothold; footing; foothold (e.g. in business); foundation
collapse; crumbling; breaking down; (radioactive) decay; disintegration
aging; wearing out; deterioration
prop; stay; support; brace; fulcrum
to break; to be broken; to be folded; to give in; to back down; to turn (a corner)
(being) frail; in frail health; frailty
one's nature; one's feelings; plain; unadorned; mere; poor
... being the case; (precisely) because ...; as might be expected from ...
being unhuman; being removed from humanity; being unworldly
to be torn off; to come off; to be torn to pieces; to be torn to shreds
high voltage; high tension
chasm; interstice; crevice; vulva; slit; cunt
underground; below the ground; world of the dead; the grave; underground (activities, movement, etc.); secret
mantle; mantle (e.g. gas)
to melt; to thaw; to fuse; to dissolve
nakedness; nudity; bareness; nakedness; being penniless; concealing nothing
just like; (virtually) no different from; (almost) the same as; as good as (e.g. dead, settled)
shrewdly; smartly; calculatingly; astutely; cunningly
safety zone; buffer (e.g. against defeat)
not yet known; unknown; strange
to creep up; to crawl up; to overcome (a bad situation); to rise (after a setback)
refreshingly; with a feeling of relief; shapely; neatly; cleanly; without trouble; clearly
phew; whew; huff; whoo; wohoo