disastrous; tragic; miserable; wretched; pitiful; woeful
hypothesis; supposition; assumption
to be flustered; to lose one's presence of mind
serious matter; major incident; matter of grave concern; crisis
or rather (say); or better (say); or perhaps I should say; or, how should I put it; I mean
fault; defect; flaw; failure (in an examination); failing grade
to get lost; to lose one's bearings; to be puzzled; to be perplexed; to be tempted; to be seduced
protagonist; main character; hero(ine) (of a story); head of household
capture (of enemy territory); taking (by storm); defeating (an opponent); attacking (a problem) strategically
impossible to understand; impossible to decipher
to see; to look; to examine; to look over; to look after; to attend to; to experience
simply; merely; only; solely
confession; acknowledgement; acknowledgment
misunderstanding; misapprehension; false impression; to be mistaken; to have the wrong idea
unthinkable; unexpected; outrageous; offensive
discussion; talk; tête-à-tête; conference
particularly; especially; indicates the number of horses or oxen drawing a carriage; indicates the number of oars on a boat; indicates the number of movies, plays, etc. comprising a single program; indicates the number of items or methods used
weird; ominous; eerie; uncanny; ghastly
brute; beast; monster; inhuman person; ungrateful person
to work (someone) hard; to push (someone) around
to be put in order; to be put to rights; to be disposed of; to be solved; to be finished; to be married (off)
to outwit; to get the better of; to overcome a superior opponent and leave him speechless
to rub together; to reconcile (ideas, proposals, plans); to compare and adjust
second day of the month; two days
behind closed doors; behind-the-scenes; (under the veil of) secrecy
to confute; to argue down; to persuade; to convince; to prevail on
to talk down; to corner someone in an argument
every year; yearly; annually
offer; tender; providing; sponsoring (a TV program)
prospects of victory; chances of success
sanity; consciousness; soberness
restlessly; nervously; uneasily; in a fidget
advantageous; favourable; better; profitable; lucrative; gainful
stand; rack; support; holder; counter for machines, incl. vehicles; setting (e.g. in jewellery); level (e.g. price level)
slipping out (a chuckle, giggle); unintentionally (letting out a quiet laugh)
well-matched (esp. of a couple); becoming; suitable
boy; juvenile; young boy; youth; lad
head; chief; merit; strong point; superiority; major