speaking of ...; when it comes to ...; as for ...; if one were to say ...
to diffuse; to spread throughout; to prevail; to become widespread; to reach everyone
prosperity; thriving; flourishing
obstacle; hindrance; impediment; difficulty
but; however; provided that
(social) standing; status; identity; birth; one's circumstances; one's means
having an audience with someone of very high social standing (e.g. the emperor)
surplus; margin; leeway; composure; placidity; complacency
while; even though; despite
each time; always; often; thank you for your continued patronage
to feel like it; to get to think that way; to become so minded
gradually; steadily; slowly; little by little; step by step; by degrees
(sense of) rivalry; competitiveness
formation; establishment; conclusion (e.g. of a deal); reaching (e.g. an agreement); being valid (of a theory, argument, etc.); holding
beginning; start; first (in line, etc.); origin; such as ...; not to mention ...
male; man; excellence; greatness; best (of)
home area; home town; local
haughty; arrogant; insolent; proud; overbearing
laid-back; carefree; easygoing; thoughtless; happy-go-lucky
careless; thoughtless; hasty; rash
to run swiftly; to dash; to rush; to race
comparatively; relatively; unexpectedly; unusually; considering; for one's ...
to smoke (e.g. fire); to billow smoke; to smoulder; to be hazy; to look dim
opportunism; waiting and seeing (how the wind blows); sitting on the fence; straddling
greedy; grasping; tightfisted; predatory (e.g. business); calculating; avaricious
stubbornness; pigheaded person; miser
advantage; benefit; profit; interest
disposition; temperament; nature; mentality; spirit; character
economy; economics; finance; (one's) finances; being economical; economy
match; game; bout; contest
general situation; general trend; general tendency; way things are moving; current (of the times); tide (e.g. of public opinion)
confrontation; opposition; antagonism
mixing; mixture; meld; miscegenation
the place one comes from; one's birthplace; one's hometown
classification; color coding; colour coding; color keying; colour keying; differentiation using different colors (colours)