to become blunt; to grow dull; to become less capable; to weaken; to falter
crowding together; clustering together; close formation; swarm
subsidence; sinking; fall (of a city, fortress, etc.); surrender; fall (in position, rank, etc.); demotion
to dominate; to prevail; to be superior to; to get ahead of; to get the upper hand
offensive (movement); aggression
timid; weak-kneed; fainthearted; bearish
to raise one's head (esp. of a snake)
slowly (but steadily); gradually; bit-by-bit; slowly soaking in; slowly permeating; oozing out
encroachment; invasion; erosion (e.g. of market share, rights); erosion; corrosion
dull (e.g. a knife); blunt; thickheaded; obtuse; dull (sound, color, etc.); dim (light)
last days; the end; one's fate
that gentleman; that lady; he; she
to bring disgrace (dishonor, dishonour) on; to fling mud at; to put to shame
incompetence; inefficiency; inability; incompetent person
shoulders; body; honour; honor; prestige
blunder; fault; error; mistake; failure; disgrace
to pile up; to heap up; to stack up; to repeat many times over; to go through repeatedly; to accumulate
disappearance; running away; going missing; absconding
to take away; to carry away
estrangement; alienation; disaffection; (customer) churn; attrition
definite; certain; decided; fixed; settled
below; down; bottom; beneath; underneath; just after; right after
regarding; in; to; towards; with regards to
centripetal force; unifying force; cohesive power
organization; organisation; structure; construction; system (e.g. railroad, transport, party, etc.); tissue; texture (of a rock)
influential person; powerful person; big wheel; big gun; power behind the throne
disorder; chaos; confusion
stability; steadiness; consistency; stable
temporary; transient; trifling; trivial; careless; perfunctory
commander; commanding officer; CO
being able to hear something (clearly); clearness of a sound; reputation; renown; impression (that something gives off); respectability
comparatively; relatively
papier-mâché; something that looks good superficially; sham
bowl; vessel; container; ability; capacity; calibre
function; facility; faculty; feature
to be awash with; to teem with; to be full of
remnant; fragment; fraction; odd sum; halfway; half-hearted
to go against; to fight against; to oppose; to resist; to deny
descent; fall; drop; decline; downturn; subsidence
raw; uncooked; natural; as it is; unprotected (sex); raw; live (i.e. not recorded)
to scorn; to despise; to hold in contempt; to look down on; to disdain
outsider's perspective; as seen by an observer
to carry on; to go on with one's life; to keep alive; to stay alive; to survive
to notice; to realize; to be attentive; to be scrupulous; to regain consciousness; to come to (one's senses)