state; condition; the way things should be; ideal state; truth
each time; always; often; thank you for your continued patronage
familiar; well-known; regular (e.g. customer); old stand-by
to return; to come back; to turn over; to become extremely; to become completely
ill-bred; impolite; rude; impudent; insolent; blunt
to become vulgar; to coarsen
stinking; smelly; suspicious; fishy; clumsy; unskilled
coercion; overpowering; to overpower; to overawe; to daunt
as one would expect; just as you'd expect (from); still; all the same; even ... (e.g. "even a genius")
receptionist; reception woman
willingness (e.g. to do something); eagerness; motivation; inspiration; determination; high aspirations
to look (stare) back at (somebody); to look at again; to re-examine; to prove oneself superior (to someone who had previously been condescending); to look back (behind oneself)
to have (urgent) business; to have something one needs to attend to; to have something one wants to say (to someone)
gaudy (esp. of makeup or clothing); garish; glitzy; loud
suspicious-looking; fishy
contents; content; substance; matter; detail; import
strange; odd; peculiar; queer; curious
merchant; trader; tradesman; dealer; shopkeeper
opposition; resistance; insubordination; defiance; hostility; rebellion
to seal (letter); to prevent; to forbid; to block
regular; normal; formal; legal; established; legitimate
such; like that; that sort of; very
that way; that direction; that (one); that person; there; over there
silver-gray hair; silver-grey hair; attractive older man with some gray hair
past middle age; nearing old age; near-elderly; age 40
glass (drinking vessel); glass (material); glasses (eyewear)
template; run of the mill; formulaic
to accomplish; to finish; to carry through; to follow through
day after tomorrow; wrong (e.g. direction)
direction; orientation; bearing; course (e.g. of action)
appraisal; estimation; evaluation; setting prices
thorn; spine; splinter (esp. lodged in one's flesh); hard sharp item (esp. lodged in one's throat, e.g. fish bone); biting words
to stick into (of something with a sharp point); to prick; to pierce; to resonate emotionally; to move
to stare back (at); to glare back
such; this sort of; like this
poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at); not one's cup of tea; not one's favorite
small; little; slight; below average (in degree, amount, etc.); low (e.g. sound); soft (e.g. voice)
to come near; to let someone approach; to bring near; to bring together; to deliver (opinion, news, etc.); to send (e.g. a letter); to let someone drop by
to hide; to be hidden; to conceal oneself; to disappear
clothes (esp. Western clothes); counter for doses of medicine, gulps of tea, drags of a cigarette, etc.
hem; (trouser) cuff; bottom part; bottom edge; foot (of a mountain); tips (of hair)
to encamp; to take up positions
to master (a skill); proprietor; manager; leader; chief; master (of arts, science, etc.); master (recording)
to ask a question; to ask questions