wet nurse; nursing mother
wholesale delegation; hundred-percent subcontracting; leaving all the decision-making to somebody else
to open up a path; to clear a path; to open up doors; to pave the way
to connect; to link together; to pull together; to close tightly; to purse (e.g. lips)
outer canthus; outer corner of the eye
to be packed (with); to be full (space, schedule, etc.); to be blocked (road, pipe, nose, etc.); to be clogged; to shorten (width, interval, etc.); to shrink (shirt, word form, etc.); to be at a loss
to bring; to take; to bring about
misfortune; bad luck; ill luck; ill fortune
retrogression; reversal; relapse; doubling back; backtracking
no matter what it takes; by any means necessary; at all costs; by hook or by crook
approximate age; apparent age; marriageable age (esp. of a woman); age of maturity; appropriate age (to ...); old enough (to ...)
bachelorhood; spinsterhood; celibacy; living apart from one's family; living alone; person who lives alone
seeming to be; appearing to be; like; similar to; in order to (e.g. meet goal); so that
to hold on to something (secret, lead in a race, etc.)
to be grieved at heart; to be troubled; to be worried; to trouble oneself (about something)
to hit; to expose; to apply (e.g. patch); to put on; to allot; to call on someone (e.g. in class); to guess (an answer)
to reconsider; to rethink; to reassess
fierce look; frightening look; tough look; aggressive attitude; coercive attitude; taking a hard line
kind-hearted; compassionate; charitable
to sink deeply into one's mind; to come home to; to go to one's heart; to pierce one's body (e.g. of wind, cold, etc.)
giant; woodsman; alpinist
to cause trouble (for someone); to annoy; to bother; to inconvenience
conclusion; decision; end; settlement
subversion (of the state)
plot; scheme; trick; design; intrigue; artifice
to sprain; to twist; to dampen (enthusiasm); to discourage; to dishearten
another family; another house
marriage proposal; courtship
forever; for good; eternally; as long as one likes; indefinitely; no matter what
generation; the world; the age
I don't know ...; how about ...?; I wonder; what about ..?
with an interesting history (story); with a shady history; with circumstances that are difficult to explain
one's sister-in-law; stepsister (elder)
to care for someone; to look after someone
being adopted into the family of one's bride
branch family; cadet family; establishing a branch family
scrap; piece; fag end; unimportant (person); petty (official); barely (in a role)
front stage; center stage (of politics, etc.)