government service; the bureaucracy
year; age; years; past one's prime; old age
festival; feast; harassment by an Internet pitchfork mob; online shaming; galore (as in "goals galore"); frenzy
isolation; segregation; separation; quarantine
how many years; how long; what year
selection; choice; picking out
dropping out; falling behind; omission; being left out; falling off; coming off
the reverse; other side; lining
to decline (in prosperity); to become deserted; to become desolate; to taper off (of a sound)
candidate; contender; prospect; candidacy; candidature; nomination
training; education; development; cultivation
admission (e.g. to a training institution, research establishment, social welfare facility, etc.); entrance; imprisonment; internment; confinement
to be dyed; to be tainted; to be infected; to be stained
to slide; to slip off; to get dislocated; to be out of alignment; to get dislodged; to deviate
layman; believer; adherent; follower; laity
(religious) piety; faith; devotion
foreign substance; foreign body; strange object; unusual object; (arch.) dead body; (arch.) corpse
to go into; to come into; to penetrate; to become complicated
quirk of fate; twist of fate; (an) irony
gradually; by degrees; little by little; steps; stairs; staircase
influence; clout; leverage
failure; collapse; breakdown; break-up; bankruptcy
cardinal (Catholic church)
to protect (someone); to look after (e.g. an injured leg); to defend; to cover for; to stand up for; to stick up for
much less; to say nothing of
it does not mean that ...; I don't mean that ...; it is not the case that...
name; title; appellation; (under the) pretext (of); pretense
to start (something); to start up; to boot (a computer); to launch (a business)
to drag down; to pull down; to force out (of power, office, role, etc.)
insurrection; mutiny; rebellion; revolt; uprising
puppet; marionette; puppeteer; (arch.) prostitute
check; keeping in check; containment (of enemy forces); diversionary action; pickoff throw; holding a runner on base
raw; uncooked; natural; as it is; unprotected (sex); live (i.e. not recorded); inexperienced
to grow long (e.g. hair, nails); to lengthen; to extend; to reach out; to hold out; to straighten; to smooth out
oneself; oneself; for oneself; personally
to cause trouble (for someone); to annoy; to bother; to inconvenience
determination; resolution
to hug someone close; to hold someone tight; to embrace closely
to leave nothing undone; to give good service; to attend to everything; to be on someone's tracks (e.g. police); to catch up with; to close in on
so; therefore; accordingly; consequently; on those grounds; that is why