taking a story with a grain of salt; discounting half the story
dejectedly; sorrowfully; crestfallen
thrust; charge; digging into (a matter); depth; straight man (of a comedy duo); quip; gibe
to gain fame; to make one's name
social; societal; societary
estrangement; alienation; disaffection; (customer) churn; attrition
pause; suspension; rest; stoppage
angry; indignant; wrathful; enraged
by the end of this year; before the year comes to a close; during this year
direct control; direct supervision
low-rise (architecture); low-level; low-class
main point; essential point; important thing; necessity; need; requirement
to make someone lose face; to embarrass someone; to make someone look foolish
this is why; that is the reason why; it is the case that; so; thus; with that
poverty; need; destitution; having great difficulty with; struggling greatly with; being in distress
to make a payment via bank deposit transfer; to discard another player's winning tile
to bring up a subject; to touch on a matter
strange; weird; odd; strange thing; strange person
paltry sum of money; small change; odd money; pittance; chicken feed
in an instant; in a flash; in the blink of an eye; in no time at all; just like that
cloud of dust (sand, etc.); dust storm
century; hundred years; (fig.) a long time
hills and fields; hill and dale
travelling (a long and difficult journey) on foot; walking (all the way) across; travelling through; travelling all over (e.g. a country); visiting all the major locations (of a region, etc.)
dissatisfaction; discontent; disapproval; objection; complaint; protest
along the road; along the way
confusion; distraction; derangement
renewal; update; replacement; renovation; breaking (a record)
wildly different (in ability, strength, etc.); on another level; in a different league; of different heights; uneven
process; procedure; sequence; protocol; instruction
frightening; scary; (arch.) extreme; (arch.) exaggerated; (arch.) huge
trouble; bother; annoyance; to be troubled (by); to be bothered (by); to be inconvenienced (by)
to become hoarse; to become husky
just; right; pure; genuine; truth
establishment; founding; incorporation (of a business)
investment; contribution; financing
atrium; well (in building); blow-by; blow-bye; drafty; draughty
geisha; dressed-up beautiful woman
to understand from experience
old gentleman; elderly gentleman
people; (all) persons; everyone; (arch.) you (usu. plural)