phantom; vision; illusion
to copy; to imitate; to counterfeit; to forge
spurious article; forgery; counterfeit; imitation; sham
very; greatly; much; just about to; almost; very nearly
to lose one's senses; to go mad; to go off the rails; to fool around; to mess around; to lark about
just; exactly; precisely; perfectly; sharp
playing dead; feigning death; playing possum
to trap (into a difficult situation); to put (in a fix); to capture (a castle, fortress, etc.); to take; to drop (something) into
to put one's life on the line; to risk one's life; to put everything one has into it
whole face; all over one's face
breathing; respiration; knack; trick; harmony; balance
to lend someone one's shoulder; to support with one's shoulder; to help carry a load; to lend a hand; to come to someone's aid
to give a glance (at); to take one look at
dimension; perspective; point of reference; level (of something)
numerical value; figure; result; reading (on a meter, etc.)
warfare in which soldiers fling themselves at the enemy; hand-to hand combat
elucidation; explication; explaining; unravelling; clarification; understanding
absorption; giving undivided attention; devoting oneself (to)
to shake; to jolt; to shake (e.g. the political world); to disturb; to put off a batter (by varying one's type of pitch)
via; through; by doing; by means of; using
to chip; to nick; to break; to lack
special characteristic; special quality; trait; idiosyncrasy; peculiarity
riddle; puzzle; enigma; enigmatic; mysterious
fighting with one's back to the wall; having burnt one's bridges; last stand; last-ditch effort
to herd; to drive; to corner; to force someone into doing; to go hard; to push yourself
to accomplish; to achieve; to carry out; to do ... completely; to do ... entirely
rough; wild; violent; immoderate; extravagant; reckless
to overcome (opposition); to push past; to force one's way; to press and cut
to suck up; to absorb; to squeeze (money)
simple; plain; uncomplicated; straightforward; simple-minded; naive
leveling; levelling; equalization; alleviation (e.g. of unemployment); harmonization
various; varied; diverse; all sorts of
point of uncertainty; unclarified issue; doubt
surfacing; rising to the surface; emerging; leaping into prominence; rising (of rank)
to make sure; to check; to ascertain; to confirm; to verify
nonchalant; unconcerned; in a casual manner
point in common; common feature
you must be kidding; hey, come on!; surely not!
steel; sword steel; sword
to learn; to acquire knowledge; to carry; to wear (clothes, etc.); to put on
bad example from which one can learn; good example of what not to do (esp. how not to behave); negative example