painful; difficult; distressing; (psychologically) difficult; straitened (circumstances); tight (financial situation)
export; exportation; efferent
avenue; street; coming and going; street traffic; flow (of water, air, etc.); transmission (of sound); reach (e.g. of voice)
to make merry; to be festive
dispatch; despatch; deployment; temporary employee (esp. from an agency); temporary worker; agency temp
information; news; intelligence; information; data contained in characters, signals, code, etc.
to collect; to assemble; to gather
whispering; murmuring; subdued
to put on weight; to gain weight; to grow fat; to get stout
old person; senior citizen; the aged; the elderly
suspicious-looking; fishy
any; anything; whatever; I am told; I hear; I understand
last (i.e. immediately preceding); previous; pre- (e.g. premodern); before; before; earlier
recognition; acknowledgement; acknowledgment; approval; consent; agreement
activity (esp. energetic); great efforts; conspicuous service; to flourish; to participate actively; to play an active role
so far; up to now; hitherto; that's enough (for today); it ends here
barely; narrowly; only just; with difficulty
dozens; scores of; decades
rearing; training; nurture; cultivation; promotion
paralysis; palsy; numbness; stupor
espionage network; intelligence network
urgent business; pressing need; imperative
present condition; existing state; status quo; current state
refusal; rejection; denial; veto
in addition; furthermore; above (which); on top of (which)
hard fight; close game; struggle; tight contest
under the command (of); under the banner (of); influenced (by)
unable to compete with; not able to make a dent in (e.g. a problem); not able to get a solid hit in (e.g. in a fight); hard to chew
to force; to compel; to coerce; to press; to impose
to respond; to satisfy; to accept; to comply with; to apply for
idea; plan; draft; rough copy; expectation; (arch.) desk
opposition; resistance; antagonism; reverse; opposite; inverse
(coming to an) agreement; consent; mutual understanding; accord; consensus
intelligence gathering; information gathering
the number of people; many people; a large number of people; (counted as an) adult
to get used (to); to get familiar with; to get skillful with
impediment; burden; encumbrance; hindrance; drag
to be unable to; to find difficult (unpleasant, awkward, painful) to do; to serve two or more functions or roles simultaneously; to contain (or combine) two or more features; to work in two or more jobs simultaneously (positions, etc.); to do alongside