from time immemorial; ancient; time-honoured; time-honored
fixed rule; usual way; usual method
prior; beforehand; in advance; before the fact; ex ante
edict; ordinance; proclamation
existence or nonexistence; presence or absence; consent or refusal; yes or no
to take offense; to take offence; to get angry; to lose one's temper
cramp; sprain; unreasonableness; absurdity; illogical; unreasonable
something like ...; something called ...
but then; although; though; reasonable; natural; just
judging from; on the basis of; from the point of view of
abruptly; suddenly; all of a sudden; without warning
to sense; to suspect; to get an inkling (of something); to get wind of; to smell (e.g. danger); to become aware of (e.g. a plot)
to make war (on); to wage war (against); to compete (against); to struggle (against adversities, etc.); to fight
direction; way; person; lady; method of; manner of; care of ...
still; much more; (not) yet; still a long way to go; still a long way off; not there yet
sweet-tasting; sweet; fragrant (smelling); sweet (music); lightly salted; light in salt; naive
to think; to consider; to think (of doing); to plan (to do); to judge; to assess; to imagine
war; fighting; fierce competition
whitewashing; glossing over; lip service; deftly finishing up; putting on the final touches
Mr.; Mrs.; makes a word more polite (usu. in fixed expressions); state; situation
matter; affair; counter for (received) emails, text messages, voicemail messages, etc.; counter for accounts (on a website, email service, etc.)
finally; at last; barely; narrowly; gradually; little by little
to memorize; to memorise; to commit to memory; to learn by heart; to bear in mind; to remember
admiration; being impressed; admirable; praiseworthy; astonishment; being appalled
ago; since; before; previous
retrogression; reversal; relapse; doubling back; backtracking
20 years old; (arch.) twenty
double; twice (as much); times (as much); -fold; 1-nth; 1 to n
getting closer; drawing nearer; being not much different; being near (age, skill, etc.); becoming close (i.e. friendly); becoming intimate
while; even though; despite
present condition; existing state; status quo; current state
in spite of; nevertheless; although; despite; no matter the; regardless of
quiet; calm; easily; comfortably; distant; far-off
towards; against; regarding; in contrast with
to be hit; to strike; to touch; to be in contact; to be equivalent to; to be applicable; to be right on the money (of a prediction, criticism, etc.)
plan; policy; means; fifth principle of the Eight Principles of Yong; right upward flick
not necessarily so; is not always true
conversely; on the contrary
trifling with; toying with; playing with; tossing about (a ship)
first (of all); firstly; probably; most likely; more or less (satisfactory); on the whole
news; word; tidings; omen
everything; all; the whole; entirely; completely; wholly
transmission (e.g. news, chemical signals, electricity); communication; delivery; conveyance; transfer; relay
indication; denotation; designation; instructions; directions