to grab at; to grasp at; to clutch at
dubious; puzzled; suspicious
piece(s) of firewood (esp. chopped or split from logs); kindling (twigs, branches, etc.); firewood
to walk heavily and clumsily; to lumber
to bring near; to bring close; to let go near; to associate with; to bring (people) together; to let come near (of a person)
more or less; though not quite satisfactorily; tentatively; for the time being; just in case; once
agreement; consent; same opinion; same view; same meaning
very; considerably; by no means; not readily; middle; half-way point
cash; ready money; money on hand; mercenary; self-interested; calculating
decision; determination; resolution
pleasant feeling; good vibes
year in, year out; always; 24-7
to scold; to chide; to rebuke; to reprimand
to turn back; to go back; to come back; to return; to retrace one's steps
to rise up (e.g. pillar of smoke); to go up
to lurk; to be hidden; to be concealed; to lie dormant; to be latent
restless; fidgety; in a hurry
to fly about; to skip about; to bustle about
to sing; to chirp; to twitter
center; centre; middle; -centered; -centred; -focused
lack of expression; blank look (on one's face)
my; one's own; I ...; one ...
at the very beginning of one's speech; the first thing (one) says after opening the mouth
control; management (e.g. of a business)
negligence; carelessness; incompetence; mismanagement
tone (of voice); parlance; style; intonation; accent
to decrease; to be reduced; to reduce; to lessen; to subtract; to deduct
regrettable; vexing; upsetting; unthinkable; wholly unexpected
investigation (e.g. into someone's guilt); questioning; pressing; catching up; overtaking
remnant; residue; remaining; left-over
to protect; to guard; to defend; to keep (i.e. a promise); to abide (by the rules); to observe
to descend; to go down; to be handed down (of an order, judgment, etc.); to pass (of time); to surrender; to capitulate; to be less than
to jump up; to start up; to leap to one's feet; to fly away; to take off
at once; immediately; right now
to stop (moving); to come to a stop; to stop (doing, working, being supplied); to come to a halt; to alight; to perch on
drumming (noise); beating; rapidly; quickly; continuously; one after the other
bored; having nothing to do; idle
to poke one's nose into another's affairs; to have a hand in; to take a (deep) interest in; to poke one's head (into a room)
contrary to expectations; or so we thought, but ...