to pierce; to penetrate; to sting (wound or sensitive area, etc.); to smart; to be infected (with vice); to be steeped (with prejudice)
watering hole; watering place
one's confidant; trusted friend; trusted retainer
well aware of; know thoroughly; being familiar with (and thus feeling no need for restraint)
rule; reign; peaceful times
copy; reproduction; replica; facsimile
ceremony; matter; affair; with regard to; as for
to conform to; to be in accordance with; to follow (rule, tradition, example, etc.)
to pierce; to stab; to sting; to bite; to sew; to stitch; to pole (a boat)
authority; power; influence
ceremony; rite; ritual; service
smoothly; easily; readily
cavern; cave; cave system; grotto
treason; treachery; mutiny; rebellion; insurrection
to get worse; to deteriorate; to go from bad to worse; to spoil (of food); to go bad; to perish
succession struggle; succession race
weather; the elements; fair weather; fine weather
to contract; to undertake; to take over; to take responsibility for
not necessarily so; is not always true
principle; aim; purport; gist; instructions; orders
twentieth day of the month; twenty days
conferral of honors (honours), according to merits
establishment; settlement
lineage; stock; descent; strain; blood relationship
legitimate; orthodox; traditional
sudden change; sudden turn
to get blurred; to get hoarse; to get husky; to graze; to scrape
to soak; to dip; to steep; to moisten; to wet
to be petrified; to be unable to move; to be paralyzed (with horror); to be stupefied (with amazement)
to turn over; to turn around; to change (one's mind); to reverse (one's decision); to fly (flag, etc.); to wave (skirt, cape, etc.)
to be foolish; to be stupid; to be ridiculous
origin; genesis; opening; start; beginning
self-deprecating; self-mocking
funny; comical; humorous; ridiculous; silly; absurd
sense of impending crisis; sense of danger
to manage a state; to govern a country