armed forces; military; troops
crumbling; collapse; ruin; has-been; wannabe
military personnel; soldier
command; lead; generalship; leadership
platoon commander; section commander
force; unit; corps; squad; troops; party
continent; continental Asia (esp. mainland China); continental Europe
throughout; over a period of ...; over a span of ...
to harden; to solidify; to become firm; to become certain; to gather (together); to assemble
to be imaginable; to be conceivable
face with no make-up; unpainted face; true face (of a country, celebrity, etc.); real face; sober face; sobriety
brittle; fragile; weak; tender-hearted; sentimental; easily moved
to feign friendliness; to play the hypocrite
confession; acknowledgement; confession of love; professing one's feelings; confession of sins (e.g. the confessional)
under custody; under supervision; undecided match; draw; tie
to shelter (e.g. a fugitive); to harbour; to harbor; to hide; to give refuge to
whim; vagary; capriciousness; eccentricity
to catch one's breath; to gulp; to have one's breath taken away; to gasp
bitter (e.g. criticism); sharp; biting; severe; scathing; harsh
to warp; to curve; to arch; to bend backward (body or body part, e.g. fingers)
haggardness; emaciation; wasting away; being tired out; being worn out; exhaustion
to give shelter to; to lodge; to put up; to accommodate
menial; meanness; servility; abject
barefaced (e.g. lie); shameless; transparent; pure white; very clear
nothing more ... than this; as ... as it could possibly be
somewhere to go; place to go
to descend; to go down; to be handed down (of an order, judgment, etc.); to pass (of time); to surrender; to capitulate; to be less than
to read (somebody's) thoughts; to guess what (someone) is thinking
exactly; surely; right then; just then; just (about to); on the verge (of doing or happening)
one by one; one each; one at a time
to smash; to crush; to shut down; to put out of business; to wreck; to break; to butcher
to come out; to appear; to turn up; to emerge
raising the curtain; opening (of an event); start of a season
leading actor; star; leading figure; central figure; key figure
masterpiece; best work; amusing blunder; funny mistake; boner