to lower one's voice; to speak with a hushed voice
all; everything; entirety; absolutely (not); (not) at all; (none) whatsoever
likability; favorability; popularity
clear as day; perfectly obvious; plain as daylight
to feel awkward; to feel ashamed; to feel inferior; to feel shy (about doing something)
dishonesty; injustice; dishonor; dishonour; ingratitude
infiltration; sneaking in; going undercover
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
participation; taking part in; participating in; being concerned in
receiving; acceptance; reception
the past; bygone days; one's past (that one would prefer remained secret); past (tense); preterit; previous life
striking (at something) and missing; swing and a miss; vain attempt
caller; visitor; company; guest
after a long time; for the first time in a while
one's home country; one's homeland
to assume the posture of praying; to press the palms and fingers of both hands together; to beg; to make a supplication; to see (something or someone of high status)
carefree; comfortable; at ease; easygoing; happy-go-lucky
espionage network; intelligence network
where; what place; how much (long, far); what extent
to become stronger; to grow in intensity; to grow violent; to invite contributions, etc.; to solicit help, participation, etc.; to recruit (e.g. soldiers)
because; the reason is; if you want to know why
again and again; repeatedly
a matter of course; what is to be expected; par for the course
there's no (other) way; cannot be helped; unavoidable; it's no use (doing); pointless; hopeless (person)
to devote oneself; to do one thing exclusively; to make a job of; to decide to
to digest; to break down; to break to pieces; to be able to use; to be good at; to finish; to complete
wasp; White Anglo-Saxon Protestant; WASP
wholesale delegation; hundred-percent subcontracting; leaving all the decision-making to somebody else
reliable; dependable; trustworthy; sure
preparatory operations; measure taken in advance; doing the groundwork
as much as possible; as far as possible; whenever possible; if (at all) possible
to state one's opinion; to offer one's opinion; to opine
negotiations; discussions; connection