short end of the stick; short straw; unlucky number; blank; bad bargain
euphemistic; circumlocutory; roundabout; indirect
nice-looking; seemingly fine; nice-sounding; polite-sounding; plausible (e.g. excuse); glib
to ask for permission (before doing something); to ask first
to grant (a wish); to accede; to comply with; to heed
indeed; really; absolutely; truly; actually; very
cause and effect; causality; karma; fate; unfortunate; unlucky
one's station in life; one's personal history; one's circumstances; one's lot; one's destiny; one's future
the point of ...; the place where ...; a place called ...; places known as ...; I would say ...; ... is how I'd put it
vigorous (in old age); hale and hearty
to rub in; to smear on; to spread on; to lay the blame on
to come to the point; to get straight to the point; to speak frankly; to speak plainly; to talk straight
chance (of success); odds
blunder; slip; error; error
certain; sure; doubtless; I have no doubt; You can depend on it; It's a safe bet
financial muscle; economic clout
to fly about; to flutter about; to flit about; to fly past each other
humanity; empathy; kindness; human nature; common sense; customs and manners
wrong (guess or estimate); misdirected
to wish to go well; to have good intentions
to the best of one's meager ability; the little help one can be; though my help might not be worth much
unwell; in a bad state; not working properly; out of order; inconvenient; troublesome
resourcefulness; ability (esp. to earn a living); dependability; reliability
unnecessary; not needed; not necessary
to take pains; to take time for someone; to do work for someone; to go to trouble for someone
to scorn; to despise; to hold in contempt; to look down on; to disdain
to become desperate; to give in to despair
toy; (person or thing treated as a) plaything
March; third month of the lunar calendar
desperation; despair; self-abandonment
replacement; substitution; rebuilding; changing
putting off (doing); postponement; delaying
honour; honor; dignity; prestige; reputation; appearances
something to wear; clothes
to live (of animals); to inhabit; to nest
to shorten; to cut short; to trim; to cut down on; to reduce; to scrimp on
negligent; careless; slipshod; slovenly; reckless; irresponsible
coloured glasses; tinted glasses; sunglasses; biased view; preconceived view