bad job; poor workmanship; bungle
preliminary investigation; preliminary inquiry; preparation (for a class); going over one's lessons (in advance); studying ahead
idleness; lack of application; lazy study habits
to bite off; to gnaw through
thick (of a liquid); muddy; gooey
sludge; slime; dregs; hopeless situation; hell; despair
frizzy (hair); wiry; sizzling; frizzling; stingingly (of heat or cold); painfully
to catch fire; to be ignited; to ignite; to flare up (of an emotion, controversy, etc.); to blaze; to be ignited (of a dispute, commotion, etc.)
saying all one has to say (usu. negative, e.g. complaints, insults, etc.)
description; expression (in words); qualification (e.g. of a noun with an adjective); form; figure; appearance
falsehood and truth; fiction and fact
dramatization (e.g. of a novel); dramatisation; adaptation (for the stage or screen); embellishment (of the facts); exaggeration; dramatization
to dig out; to gouge out; to scoop; to ladle; to jerk (one's chin)
to see; to look; to examine; to look over; to look after; to attend to; to experience
bewilderment; perplexity; embarrassment; confusion
obstacle; hindrance; impediment; difficulty
centre of gravity (center); centroid; barycenter; (one's) balance
instruction (in martial arts, performance, etc.); teaching; coaching
without hesitation; without a qualm; at the drop of a hat
solidification; congelation; coagulation; condensation
gas; vapour; vapor; gaseous body
to reject; to repulse; to repel; to bounce back; to counterattack; to strike back
to enclose; to corral; to fence in; to pen in
lattice; latticework; lattice door; check(ed) pattern; plaid
monkey (esp. the Japanese macaque, Macaca fuscata); ape; sly person; idiot; hick; sliding wooden bolt (for holding a door or window shut); clasp used to control the height of a pot-hook
joint struggle; common (united) front
to boast; to brag; to exaggerate
presenter; speaker; performer; actor; participant (in a TV show or TV panel)
presumably; it seems that ...; I guess that ...; I suppose that ...; one could infer that ...
order; rank; position (e.g. in a race); precedence
paper-thin (difference); razor-thin; very slight
vague; unclear; elusive; hazy
inferior goods; faulty item
if anything; if pushed I'd say; if I had to say
reinforcements; reserve troops; rear guard; attacking from the rear; pincer movement from the back
to seize; to capture; to arrest; to hold down; to subdue
extreme sadist; very sadistic
moderate; reserved; modest; temperate; restrained; low-key
reasonableness (esp. of children); obedience
logical; cogent; well-reasoned; logically consistent