if you think about it; come to think of it
election; selection; choice
splendid; praiseworthy; admirable; well done!; bravo!
at this juncture; after all this time; at this stage; now
making an attempt; trial run
getting closer; drawing nearer; being not much different; being near (age, skill, etc.); becoming close (i.e. friendly); becoming intimate
swing and a miss; (punching and) failing to make contact; (ending in) failure; fruitless effort
to jump over; to leap over; to fly over; to fly across; to jump ahead (of someone); to skip over
to cut off (from); to separate; to detach; to sever; to uncouple
one by one; one each; one at a time
close investigation; careful examination; scrutiny
concept; general idea; notion; intention; aim; design
strongest (candidate); likeliest (winner); top (suspect)
(referring to a person) receiver; receiving side; viewer; listener
offense; offence; method of attack
losing by being overmatched; being defeated by a stronger opponent; losing by misusing one's powers; defeat as a result of trying too hard
to chop; to cut off; to chop off; to hack off
to jump back; to leap back; to jump aside; to jump out of the way
armpit; under one's arm; beside; close to; aside; to the side; off-track
to be thrilled; to be excited
test of patience; battle of wills; endurance contest
last spurt; final spurt; home stretch
fiercely fought contest; close game (match, race, etc.); dead heat
to fall fast asleep; to be confined to one's bed; to be laid up
rush (of people or activity); rush (sudden forward motion); rush hour; rushes; dailies
to total; to sum; to kill (fish, poultry, etc.)
to stretch larger; to enlarge (photos); to delay (e.g. the end of a meeting)
to gain; to earn (for oneself); to win
to associate with; to keep company with; to go out with; to go along with; to follow someone's lead; to accompany someone
next (e.g. "next April"); forthcoming; coming; to come; to arrive; to be due to
cone (e.g. pine, hemlock)
to shed tears; to be moved to tears
most interesting part (of a story); climax; good part; scenic spot; beautiful place
gun; cannon; artillery; ordnance
to break; to smash; to defeat; to destroy; to eliminate
abdomen; abdominal region; belly; middle part
opening (a door, window, etc.); leaving open; opening up (e.g. to the public); allowing (public) access
to blow violently; to sweep over; to devastate
eye of a typhoon; eye of a tropical cyclone; person (or thing) at the center of a turbulent situation (who triggers change or movement)
if one is unlucky; if one is careless
knowing when to give up; good at letting things go; accepting failure with good grace; being a good loser