diastrophism (movement and deformation of the earth's crust); upheaval (e.g. in politics); seismic shift; earthshaking changes
to boast; to brag; to feign ignorance; to pretend not to know; to recite (a song or poem to oneself); to bark
cooking; food preparation
cross-examination; close questioning; demanding an explanation
to hear; to catch (the sound of something); to hear about (rumour, etc.); to overhear; to get used to hearing
to shrink back; to wince; to flinch; to recoil
office romance; office love affair
underling; newbie; small fry; newcomer
furthermore; again; after all; more and more; moreover; even more
first and foremost; above all; most importantly of all
continuance; survival; persistence; retention; duration
(depending on) how; (depending on) what; nature (of); what is ...?; how is ...?; what will be ...?
one's own discretion (idea, responsibility)
current; urgent; to confront (an issue); to face (up to something); for the meantime; at present
distance in a straight line; distance as the crow flies
inside (a region, area, etc.); within the range (of); within the sphere (of influence, etc.)
good performance; good work; great success
to weigh (one thing against another); to compare (the relative merits of two options); (lit.) to weigh (something) on scales; to try to have it both ways; to play a double game; to have two strings to one's bow
to choke up; to be speechless; to hold one's tongue
support; backing; endorsement; propping up; holding up; support
to be in the news; to be talked about; to become a popular topic of conversation; to become the talk of the town; to become topical
for no particular reason; for some reason or other; somehow or other
to be renewed; to change; to be improved; to be reformed; to stand on ceremony; to be formal
textbook; coursebook; schoolbook
to be inherent (in); to reside (in); to be immanent (in); immanence
something heard for the first time; hearing something for the first time
to say in other words; to put another way; to express in different words; to reword; to rephrase
imitation; counterfeit; fake; replica
to be hot on a person's heels
incremental; step-by-step; gradual; stepwise
strenuous effort; hard struggle; working hard; hard fighting; fierce fighting
absolute; complete; utter; pure; sheer
independence; self-reliance; independence (e.g. of a nation); freedom; separation; isolation
imitation; similar article; similar goods
unusual power; superpower; ability beyond that of humans
to take a breather; to take a rest; to catch one's breath; to take a breath
to speak ill of; to disparage
to come back (to); to return to a starting point
starting point; origin; origin (of coordinate axes); datum point
cause; seed; variety; kind; counter for varieties
many; a lot of; a great number of; numerous
vortex; maelstrom; whirlpool; (in the middle of a) scandal; controversy; quarrel