government worker; public servant; civil servant
unnatural; artificial; affected; strained
to have a rumor circulating
to forestall; to beat to the punch; to anticipate; to play the first move (e.g. in go)
love of; affection for; enthusiast for; being attractive to; being liked by
preliminary inspection; having a look in advance; preparatory read-through (e.g. of lesson notes); siding (on a house); clapboard
to have (urgent) business; to have something one needs to attend to; to have something one wants to say (to someone)
coffee shop; tearoom; coffee lounge; coffeehouse; cafe
cat's-eye (semiprecious stone); cat's-eye (light-reflecting road stud)
soon; before long; shortly; close (by); near; nearby
more or less; though not quite satisfactorily; tentatively; for the time being; just in case; once
to be surprised; to be astonished
growth; development; growing up; growth (of a company, the economy, etc.)
receiving; reception; eating; drinking; please; please do for me
point; tip; head (of a line); front; first; before; (the way) ahead
unmanageable child; spoiled child (spoilt); spoiled brat
crown (of head); summit (of mountain); easy win for one; something received
to bring near; to bring close; to let go near; to associate with; to bring (people) together; to let come near (of a person)
to get drunk; to become intoxicated; to feel sick (e.g. in a vehicle); to become nauseated; to be elated; to be exalted
to dance (orig. a whirling dance); to flutter about; to revolve
to fly; to soar; to jump; to leap; to spatter; to scatter; to hurry
acknowledgement; acknowledgment; understanding (e.g. "please be understanding of the mess during our renovation"); noting; acceptance
since some time ago; for some time; for quite a while
grunt; grumble; pimples; spots; cutting into small pieces; simmering
machine; mechanism; instrument; appliance; apparatus
neck; head; dismissal; discharge
slander; bad-mouthing; abuse; insult; speaking ill (of)
bad feeling; feeling bad; disagreeable; unpleasant; revolting; gross
many; numerous; large amount of; large quantity of; frequent; common
interrogation room; interview room; sweatbox
your house; your home; your husband; your organization; you
eldest son (may be the only son); first-born son
to stray from the right path; to go wrong; to go off the rails; to turn delinquent
Eh?; What?; Come on!; Damn!
collection; recovery; withdrawal; retrieval
fall; crash (e.g. aircraft)
thanks (for coming, helping, etc.); glad you could make it; tiredness; fatigue
very interesting; of great interest
contents; interior; substance; content; (sword) blade
scene; setting; scene (in a movie, play); shot; state of the market
article to be delivered; present
as was expected; just as one thought; sure enough; really; actually; ever