circuitous; roundabout; indirect
method; way; manner; process; procedure; means
mechanism; machinery; trick; dodge; mechanical doll; string puppet
to put to bed; to let sleep; to lay (something) down; to put on its side; to let (money, goods, etc.) lie idle; to set aside unused
it's OK to ...; it's best to ...; it's alright to ...
internal organ; viscera; gut
hypodermic needle; injection needle
dubious tale; cock-and-bull story; questionable information
tacit approval; tacit permission; connivance; acquiescence; toleration; overlooking
to steam (food, towel, etc.); to be hot and humid; to be sultry
to slash back; to strike back; to counterattack; to retort; to quickly turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction; to cut the wheel
extreme; terrible; absurd; unreasonable; fool; idiot
fiction; made-up story; fable; fabrication; myth
effect; virtue; efficacy; impression
to have glazed eyes (when drunk, angry, etc.); to have glassy eyes
on the desk; theoretical; academic; armchair (e.g. plan)
to dress (oneself in); to attire oneself in; to adorn; to pretend; to feign; to affect
far away; far off; nowhere near; far cry
to show someone's true colors; to remove someone's mask; (lit.) to take the veneer off something
to fall through; to come to nothing; to be ruined
duty; responsibility (incl. supervision of staff); liability; onus
since some time ago; for quite a while; already
to swallow (e.g. a story); to accept without questioning; to swallow (food) whole; to gobble up; to gulp down
Catholic priest; abbe; reverend father; minister; padre
to break down; to collapse; to fall apart
right above; just above; directly above; directly overhead
railing; guard rail; (arch.) (shining) brightly (of the moon or stars); (arch.) (flowing) endlessly (of tears)
centre of gravity (center); centroid; barycenter; (one's) balance
shaking; shake; unsettledness; instability; existence of multiple spellings, pronunciations, usages, etc. for a single word
in detail; minutely; closely
to manipulate (someone); to make (someone) dance to one's tune; to lead astray; to make (someone) dance; to let dance
if anything; if pushed I'd say; if I had to say
crushed flat; flattened; flat-chested girl; sound of a sticky rice cake sticking to something
weak; weakly; feeble; frail; delicate; faint (voice, sunlight, etc.)
to finger; to play with; to make changes to; to tinker with; to dabble in; to do as a hobby
to be suspicious of (someone's motives); to suspect (that)
foundation; base; basis; from the beginning; from the outset; by nature
neither fish nor fowl; hard to predict; up in the air; unclear