mistress; kept woman; concubine
very hungry; starving; fawning; bowing and scraping; giving in; being dented
(kicking and) struggling; wriggling; floundering; to get into a panic; to make a fuss; to make a scene
you (when referring to one's equals or inferiors)
wild beast; wild animal; brute
to steel oneself to; to brace oneself
to put one's life on the line; to risk one's life; to put everything one has into it
to take the middle (between the two); to split the difference
introduction; presentation; referral; listing
swindler; fraudster; trickster; con man
unable to compete with; not able to make a dent in (e.g. a problem); not able to get a solid hit in (e.g. in a fight); hard to chew
a little embarrassing; slightly embarrassed; somewhat ashamed; extremely embarrassing; extremely embarrassed
unable to stay (on); unable to endure being somewhere a second longer; feel like running away
to be greatly obliged; to be very sorry
walking heavily; lumbering
nursing; care; caregiving; caring
pet dog; beloved dog; love of dogs; fondness for dogs
(bearing a) close resemblance; vivid reminder (e.g. of the past); dim; faint; vague
failure; collapse; breakdown; break-up; bankruptcy
near; close by; within reach; familiar
to haul in (e.g. rope, net, etc.); to pull in; to attract (e.g. stares)
free action; free activity; acting at one's own discretion; taking one's own course; free hand; independent action
to measure; to weigh; to survey; to conjecture; to infer; to surmise
clean sweep; killing several with one sword sweep
attitude survey; opinion poll
to read the situation; to sense the mood
and so on; and so forth; et cetera; comment; criticism
to explain; to advocate; to preach; to persuade
tearfully; in tears; weeping; reluctantly; unwillingly; with a heavy heart
tune (melody, piece of music)
gap; break; pause; interval; cut; incision
to approach; to draw near
to break off; to come to an end; to be interrupted; to be cut short; to pause
nonchalant air; unruffled air
to lose heart; to lose interest; to lose motivation; to become stale (i.e. of a carbonated beverage); to go flat; to lose flavor
as if it weren't already enough
in a sense; in some way; to an extent