bad taste; poor taste; gaudiness; nastiness; nasty behaviour; perverse disposition
meeting; conference; session; assembly; council; convention
holding (a conference, exhibition, etc.); opening; hosting (e.g. the Olympics)
(practical) business; business practice; business affairs; (actual) work
each place; every place; various places; all parts (of the country, world, etc.)
the one before last; two generations, etc. previous
to serve as; to act as; to fill (the position of); to play the role of; to be in charge of; to hold (a position)
youthful; young; young-looking
senior; veteran; old-timer
since; for the past ... (e.g. ten years); this person; this gentleman
bowl; vessel; container; ability; capacity; calibre
logistics; supply; communications
deployment; disposition; posting; stationing
frank; direct; plain; straightforward; point-blank; concise
unaffected and sincere, with fortitude and vigor (vigour)
disposition; temperament; temper; nature
to show through; to be hinted at; to peek through; to shine through
maneuvering behind the scenes; backroom deals; dodgy dealings
fascinating; voluptuous; bewitching; captivating
loveliness; charm; allure; colour and scent; color and scent
obstacle; hindrance; impediment; difficulty
good; excellent; fine; nice; pleasant; agreeable
being startled; getting a shock
sensuously beautiful; seductively beautiful; voluptuous
to get up (from sitting); to stand up; to (finally) start to do something; to get off one's backside; to take action
veteran; old-timer; experienced person
to shorten; to reduce; to crumple (fabric); to wrinkle; to make (one's body) smaller; to draw in (one's legs)
repetitious; long-winded; heavy (taste); (overly) rich; gaudy (colour, design, etc.); loud
cruel; brutal; ruthless; merciless; inhuman
foundation stone; cornerstone
to make a decision; to draw a conclusion; to give a judgement; to hand down a verdict; to let go down; to lower; to do oneself
to learn by experience; to learn one's lesson; to learn the hard way; to be discouraged (by); to have enough (of); to be disgusted (with)