to lean on; to recline on; to rely on; to depend on
common sense; good sense; common knowledge; general knowledge; common practice; accepted practice
safe (e.g. choice); secure; innocuous; acceptable; passable; satisfactory
just a handful; only a small number (of)
to reply; to respond; to answer; to talk back; to retort
to overdo; to do too much
truth; reality; sincerity; honesty; content; substance
company employee; office worker; white-collar worker
one-man business; sole proprietor; sole proprietorship; individual owner-manager
expenses; expenditure; outgoings; outlays; costs
final; eventual; ultimate
dilution; watering down; inflation (of budget, claim, etc.); padding
roughly; approximately; (cutting) in one stroke; (breaking apart) with vigour; (cutting) deeply; (splitting) wide open
to put on a bold front; to act big; to be unyielding; to act formally; to act stiffly
to tell (somebody) to (do something)
displeasure; discomfort; unpleasantness; indisposition; ailment
to take measures; to work out a plan; to lecture; to read aloud; to confer
bustling; busy; crowded; lively (party, voices, etc.); loud; noisy
Mr.; Mrs.; makes a word more polite (usu. in fixed expressions); state; situation
lightning; electric illumination; light from an electric source
gorgeous; gaudy; dazzling; gay; resplendent
small; fine; detailed; stingy
to be awash with; to teem with; to be full of
to entrust (a matter) to; to leave to; to abandon oneself to (e.g. pleasure); to yield to (e.g. anger); to devote oneself to
tolerance; open-mindedness; forbearance; generosity; magnanimity
arrangement; good offices; discretion; judgment; disposition
every person; every mouth; every entrance
criticism; judgement; judgment; comment
to compare; to make a comparison; to compete; to vie
to surround; to encircle; to enclose
the number of people; many people; a large number of people; (counted as an) adult
to decrease (in size or number); to diminish; to abate
the same as always; day after day
near oneself; close to one; familiar