feeling startled; getting a shock; prank; practical joke
not a little; not a few; considerable
unique; matchless; unparalleled; unparallelled; never again
freely; generously; liberally; ungrudgingly; unsparingly
to a great extent; impressive; staggering; horrible; complete; whole
how admirably; how wonderfully; how skillfully
chatter mark (machine tools)
strategy meeting; council of war
keyman; key person (e.g. of a company)
shrike (any bird of family Laniidae); bull-headed shrike (Lanius bucephalus); butcher bird
main point; gist; essentials; bones (e.g. of an idea); pith
unintelligible language; incoherent language; talking nonsense; "all Greek to me"; double Dutch; (something) incomprehensible
lightly; gently; (breaking apart) easily
carefully made; carefully produced; quality product; product made with care
cross; crossed; cruciform
awarding; conferment; granting; presentation
offense and defense; offence and defence; batting and fielding
old enemy; longtime enemy; arch-enemy; traditional rival; longstanding foe
confused fight; free-for-all; melee; close contest; close match
(personal) background check
delivery; handing over; turning over; extradition
the entire strength; all hands; all the members
to have the personal support of (an influential person); to be under the patronage of
able; capable; competent; able person; person of ability
making do; getting by (somehow); managing
800,000; eight hundred thousand
to shorten; to cut short; to trim; to cut down on; to reduce; to scrimp on
to ask for trouble; to dig your own grave; to cut your own throat
end of the fiscal year; end of the school year
receipt (of a letter, money, etc.); acceptance; receiving
defense; defence; pleading; advocacy
cancellation of a contract
misappropriation of public funds
secret bank account; secret account
person who holds the purse strings; person who minds the cash; safe keeper; treasurer
one's confidant; trusted friend; trusted retainer
illegal channel; back channel; black market