dog (Canis (lupus) familiaris); squealer; rat; loser; asshole; counterfeit
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
baseball stadium; ballpark
(a) step ahead; (a) jump ahead
home visitation (esp. a teacher visiting a student's home); home visit; house call
that much; as much; to that extent; only that; that alone; no more than that
to be transparent; to be easily seen through; to be obvious; to be apparent
to assume an air of importance; to be self-important; to put on airs
threshold (esp. one with grooves for sliding doors); sill
to step over; to step across; to stride over; to stretch over; to span; to bridge
to get mad; to be highly offended; to get pissed off; to get angry; to lose one's cool
to play with (a toy, one's hair, etc.); to fiddle with; to toy with (one's emotions, etc.); to trifle with; to do with something as one pleases; to appreciate
salt; common salt; hardship; toil; saltiness; cold
old; aged; long; since long ago; of the distant past; long-ago
pity; sympathy; compassion; affection; love
careful; cautious; prudent; discreet; deliberate
to go ahead; to proceed; to carry on
should; must; -able; probably; likely
one's own judgement (judgment); decision made without consulting others; arbitrary decision; dogmatism
distinction (e.g. between right and wrong, public and private, etc.)
to meet (by chance); to come across; to meet (e.g. of rivers, highways, etc.); to emerge and engage (an enemy)
to grow up; to become an adult; to become big; to grow in size
cheers; bottoms-up; toast; drink (in celebration or in honor of something); drinking one's glass dry
to go; to come; to be defeated; to collapse; to be annoyed; to be nonplussed
complete victory; total victory
complete blockade (seal); baseball shutout
river; stream; River; the ... river
timely; well-timed; clutch hit; run-scoring hit; RBI hit
nothing one can say (e.g. about something perfect); not a thing one can complain about; better than one could hope for
the past; bygone days; one's past (that one would prefer remained secret); past (tense); preterit; previous life
to cry; to weep; to sob; to howl
national convention; national competition; national athletic meet
small grain; small stature or ability
August; eighth month of the lunar calendar
even though; despite; when
another place; somewhere else; outside (one's family or group); someone else; not caring for; being indifferent to
to wither (of a plant); to be blasted; to die; to mature (of one's personality, abilities, etc.)
to reach; to touch; to be delivered; to arrive; to be attentive; to be scrupulous
to join together; to combine; to join up
to take; to carry (something) away; to bear
may; might; perhaps; may be; possibly