insistent; obstinate; persistent; too rich (taste, etc.); fatty; heavy
demand; firm request; requisition; requirement; desire
attachment; adhesion; tenacity; fixation; obsession
severe; strict; hard (to do); difficult; intense (e.g. cold); harsh (weather)
to begin to appear; to begin to come in
abduction; kidnapping; kidnaping
heavy-handed; iron-fisted; authoritarian
tedious; boring; being fed up with
how much; something over; and something; however (much); no matter how
subtle; delicate; difficult; complex; doubtful; questionable
far away; far off; far; long ago; long before
to defend against; to protect against; to prevent; to avert; to avoid
and (also); both ... and; as well as
(turned out) all right in the end
elite; best; pick; cream of the crop
set; suit; uniform collection; entirely; all; every one
private; confidential; informal; secret; (within the) family circle; (on the) inside
circumstances; conditions; situation; reasons; state of affairs
fellow; mutual; companion; comrade
to pull apart; to separate; to have a lead over; to pull ahead of; to outdistance
first-person plural (or singular); second or third person plural (implies speaker is of higher status than those referred to)
joint ownership; co-ownership; sharing (e.g. a viewpoint); sharing (files, devices on a network, posts on social media, etc.)
confidence; trust; faith; credit (finance)
like a decent person; human
in form; ceremonial; for form's sake; pro forma
as a matter of fact; actually; effectively; in reality; in effect
to harden; to freeze; to put together; to collect; to make secure; to stabilize; to fortify
battle formation; lineup (e.g. for a game)
management; (executive) staff; leaders; leadership; top brass; upper echelons
secret; secrecy; mystery; secret (e.g. to success); esoteric teachings
doubt; misgivings; distrust; suspicion
birth; lineage; identity; background; provenance; origin
to take in; to bring in; to capture (e.g. image); to import; to win over; to please
technology; engineering; technique; skill; art; craft
to surround; to crowd around