government; government service; the bureaucracy; government post; government official
way of writing; manner of writing; penmanship (esp. used in old textbooks); calligraphy; format (e.g. of a report); stroke order of a character
one by one; in detail; minutely
verification of a calculation; checking (the result of) a calculation; going over one's figures
to send back; to refer back
terrible; dreadful; amazing (e.g. of strength); great (e.g. of skills); to a great extent; vast (in numbers)
staring-out (down) game; game in which two children looking at each other try to make the opponents laugh first; constant looking at something (e.g. the computer screen, the clock)
strong and weak points; likes and dislikes; strengths and weaknesses
to grapple with; to wrestle with; to engage in a bout; to tackle (e.g. a problem); to come to grips with; to work hard on
to sit at a desk (to study); to be at one's desk; to set to work on revision, homework, etc.
dark; gloomy; somber; depressing
fast; quick; easy; simple; as soon as ...; the moment ...
thereupon; therefore; because of that
it can't be helped; so it goes; c'est la vie
abacus; soroban; calculation (esp. of profit and loss); reckoning
with a click (e.g. camera shutter); with a snap
isolated; standing alone; falling in drops (e.g. rain); saying a single word; muttering just a few words
difficult to hear; indistinct; hesitating to ask; awkward to ask; unpleasant to hear; painful to listen to
worry; care; concern; ennui; boredom
banter; raillery; ridicule; teasing; making fun of
admirable; commendable; praiseworthy; laudable; brave; heroic
so much; so often; oh, yes!; that's it; that's right; quite
wild; violent; rough-mannered; rough (e.g. work); crude; coarse
rash; reckless; headlong; foolhardy
to be full of pride; to be boastful
irrespective of the person concerned; indiscriminately; anyone and everyone; anybody at all
to pick a fight; to pick a quarrel
(theatrical) fighting scene
prudent; thoughtful; discreet
smelling of mud; smelling of earth; unrefined; unpolished; uncouth
to lose sight of (one's companions); to stray from; to miss (one's chance to ...)
to get along (with someone); to be like-minded; to be congenial
it says ...; it reads ...; ... is written
rag; old cloth; tattered clothes; ragged clothes; fault (one is trying to hide); defect
to keep (something) a secret; to keep hidden (forever); to continue to conceal
fresh off the farm; inexperienced
visual hallucination; vision
to breathe out; to exhale
naturally; of course; understandably
(personal) background check
doubt; distrust; suspicion (of)
(apparently) that's what it's like, isn't it; that sort of (thing mentioned immediately prior)
point of compromise; common ground