having one's back to the wall; having nowhere to go; having no way out; not having another chance
mass meeting; convention; tournament; competition; grand event
to wager; to bet; to risk; to stake; to gamble
to roll up; to enfold; to swallow up; to involve; to drag into
incompetence; inefficiency; inability; incompetent person
to permit; to allow; to forgive; to pardon; to exempt (someone) from; to remit; to acknowledge
uneasily; restlessly; erratically
to separate; to part; to divide; to keep apart
to be good (at); to go well; to look (taste, etc.) good; to hold one's liquor; to be able to hold one's drink
evacuation; withdrawal; revocation; repeal; retreat
to go round and cut in; to take a roundabout path
lukewarm; tepid; disagreeably warm (e.g. bath)
forcibly; against one's will
pretending not to know; feigning ignorance
(committee) chairman; president
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
manly; sportsmanlike; pure (heart, actions, etc.); upright; (arch.) unsullied (e.g. scenery or object); (arch.) pure
to leave to take its own course; to let a matter take care of itself
way (of doing); manner; method; means
ignorant of the ways of the world
one's habitual practice; usual measure; old trick
where; what place; how much (long, far); what extent
company; corporation; workplace
anyone; anybody; everyone; everybody; whoever
to be ...-ing; to have been ...-ing
meeting; conference; session; assembly; council; convention
investigation; examination; inquiry; enquiry; survey
adjustment; regulation; coordination; reconciliation; tuning; fixing
one's post; one's station; department; bureau; section
one by one; each; every; at intervals of
to look out on; to overlook; to face (a situation, crisis, etc.); to meet (e.g. death); to deal with (an issue); to attend (e.g. a function)
to come out; to appear; to turn up; to emerge
to stretch; to extend; to straighten out; to be flattened; to spread (of paint, cream, etc.); to stretch out (e.g. of a hand); to extend
consent; assent; understanding; agreement; comprehension; grasp
to guffaw; to roar with laughter; to laugh heartily
interrogative sentence-ending particle expressing doubt
to refuse; to reject; to inform; to give notice; to ask leave; to excuse oneself (from)
good thing; strong point; good family; prestigious school; the right moment; utter
that; the matter in question