palm; open hand; playing on equal terms; lack of handicap
existence or nonexistence; presence or absence; consent or refusal; yes or no
intimidating air; sense of intimidation
to go mad; to lose one's mind; to get out of order; to go amiss; to go wrong (of a plan or expectation, etc.); to fall through
tool; implement; means; furniture
variety; kind; type; counter for kinds, species, etc.
skill; proficiency; experience; dexterity
first-class; first-rate; characteristic (of); peculiar (to); school (e.g. of flower arrangement); one flag
far away; far off; nowhere near; far cry
shall ...; to assume; to suppose
coping method; approach; how to deal with (problem, etc.)
mainly; primarily; mostly; largely; chiefly
shield; buckler; escutcheon; pretext; excuse; grounds (for)
floral pattern; flourish; ornament; star (actor, player, etc.)
good thing; strong point; good family; prestigious school; the right moment; utter
to have sparkling eyes; to have shining eyes; to have a gleam in one's eyes
can do nothing but ...; have no choice but to ...; there is nothing to do but ...; cannot help ...
to pick up; to gather; to find (and pick up; something someone has dropped); to select; to choose; to get (unexpectedly); to hit upon (luck, an opportunity, etc.)
behavior; behaviour; manner; attitude; bearing
nick in a blade (sword, knife); chip in a blade
drawn-out (protracted) war or contest
at (a time or place); in; in (a situation, matter, etc.); on (a point); on the part of; under the authority of
to be better (than); to be superior; to surpass; to excel; to be excellent
advantage; point in favor; point in favour
to join; to be put together; to combine; to unite; to fit; to close (e.g. of a wound)
to (hit and) crush; to smash; to squash; to defeat soundly; to crush (an opponent, hopes, etc.)
newcomer; new figure; new member; modern humans (from Cro-Magnon man onwards); Homo sapiens
to follow (someone's) example; to imitate; to copy; to learn (by observation)
diligent; hard-working; industrious
to take in one's hand; to pick up; to obtain
to fail to hear something; to miss; to act as if one didn't hear something; to let a remark slide
before one knows; before one becomes aware of; unnoticed; unawares
to listen attentively to; to be absorbed in (listening to)
result (that makes an act worthwhile); worth (in doing something); value; effect; use; benefit
young person; youngster; young people; (the) youth
lately; recently; nowadays; terribly; awfully; extremely
to serve as a reference; to provide useful information; to be helpful; to be informative; to be instructive
one's father; one's old man; middle-aged (or older) man; old man; one's boss; proprietor (of a restaurant, store, etc.)
great erudition; extensive knowledge; vast stock of knowledge
teacher; instructor; professor
an instant; a split second; no time at all; (lit.) time of an "ah!"
to gain knowledge; to be illuminated; enlightening; informative; illuminating
exit; way out; outlet; vent