(one's) initials; first letter (of a name, sentence, etc.); initial; first
within the story (of a book, play, film, etc.)
creator (of a work); author; writer; artist; composer; playwright
poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at); not one's cup of tea; not one's favorite
to resonate emotionally (with one); to strike home (words, etc.); (lit.) to stab in the chest
(it was) not until; (it was) only when
year; age; years; past one's prime; old age
on the least pretext; at the drop of a hat
writing (e.g. as a profession)
jumping straight to the business, ...; I know this is abrupt, but ...; let's skip the pleasantries; getting to the point
off the top of one's head; from thin air; from memory
it's been a long time; long time no see
thank you; thanks; much (thanks); very (sorry); quite; really; somehow
offender; transgressor; violator
scattered; disperse; loose; disconnected; in pieces; in drops
to read and understand; to take in; to sense from external cues; to read (someone's) mind; to read (calibration, tape, etc.); to scan (bar code)
to originate with; to start with; to stem from
serious damage; injury or loss; heavy blow
economy; economics; finance; (one's) finances; being economical; economy
head; leader; top; (arch.) important part
each nation; many nations; many countries
delay; lag; postponement; falling behind
declaration of a state of emergency
frank; direct; plain; straightforward; point-blank; concise
counter for articles; counter for military units; individual
happiness; blessedness; luck; luckily; fortunately
to tie; to restrain; to confine; to bind; to fasten
steel; steal (baseball, basketball); still (picture)
irritation; annoyance; frustration
influence; clout; leverage
to not know what to do with; to be at a loss with; to have difficulty with; to be put out
management; (executive) staff; leaders; leadership; top brass; upper echelons
symptoms; condition (of a patient)
to change facial expression or color (due to anger, embarrassment, etc.)
interrogation room; interview room; sweatbox
chief (of police); head (of office)