quietly; softly; seriously; solemnly; sadly
suckling child; babe in arms; child at the breast; baby; infant
seeing through (e.g. someone's lies); reading (e.g. thoughts); penetrating; detecting
impudent; brazen; shameless; bold
way of speaking; intimation
(not) in the least; (not) at all; (not) a bit
dunce; blockhead; inattentive person; (lit.) (a) lantern at noon
to be affected; to put on airs; to act like (something one isn't); to pretend to be
to display one's real ability; to show one's real ability; to show one's stuff; to show oneself at one's best; to really shine; to come into one's own
premodern; old-fashioned; outmoded; antiquated
reason; logic; sense; truth; right
shortcoming; fault; flaw; imperfection
to turn away; to bear off; to veer away; to deviate (e.g. of a conversation); to digress; to go astray
to be too late; to be too slow
one's speciality; one's forte; one's strong point
in the mountains; among the mountains
armrest (of a chair); elbow rest
countermeasure; counter-measure
while looking on in blank amazement; before one's very eyes; before one knew what was happening
underwater; behind closed doors; behind the scenes; below the surface
writing off (a debt); cancellation; balancing the books; cancelling out (gains or losses); making even; making up (for)
going against one's will; contrary to one's intentions; going against one's desire; going contrary to one's wishes
self-government; autonomy; local (governmental) autonomy
strange thing; odd thing; how absurd!; preposterous!
transfer (of authority, power, etc.); delegation; devolution
plentiful; lot of; much; pile of
way of the sword; swordsmanship
other than; except for; aside from; apart from; save for
making rapid progress; making great advances; rush; dash; onslaught
to stretch larger; to enlarge (photos); to delay (e.g. the end of a meeting)
time of death; one's final hour; one's end
unreasonable request; asking for something unreasonable
one of two (possibilities, alternatives, etc.)
rope; cord; line; grand champion's braided belt
health problem; poor physical health; bad shape; feeling unwell
to shrink; to contract; to diminish (in size)
endurance; perseverance; patience
cannot be undone; can't be recovered from
weight; weight (e.g. of someone's words); burden; importance; significance
to reject; to spurn; to turn down; to refuse
... all over again (repeating the same failure)