grounding (in a skill or subject); knowledge; training; achievements; attainments; accomplishments
background (of a scene, picture, etc.); background (of an event, person, etc.); circumstances; background music; background (activity)
circumference; girth; surroundings; neighbourhood; people surrounding oneself; surrounding circumstances
everyone; everybody; all; everything; all
that is so; that is right; it looks to me; people say that; it is said that; I hear that
hard to get; hard to come by
posture; pose; position; attitude; approach; stance
to ascend; to go up; to climb
to aim at (for, to do, to become); to try for; to have an eye on; to go toward; to head for
crown (of head); summit (of mountain); easy win for one; something received
absolutely; completely; utterly; really; simply; only
envious; jealous; enviable (position, etc.)
large; big; great; prominent; -sized; as big as; university
bureaucrat; government official; bureaucracy
success in life; getting ahead; successful career; promotion; climbing the corporate ladder; eminence
erratic; offbeat; wild; unconventional; extraordinary; weird
idea; plan; fancy; impulse; thought; whim
belief; faith; conviction
to choose; to select; to pick (out)
to entrust (someone) with; to leave (a matter) with someone; to have someone deliver (a message, parcel, etc.); to send (through someone); to use (something) to express (one's feelings, opinion, etc.); to express in the form of (something)
fluently (speaking a foreign language); incessantly (speaking); glibly; one after the other (flipping through pages); thin (paper, cloth, etc.); flimsy
tedious; boring; dull; to feel bored; to get bored (with); to get tired (of)
no sooner than; as soon as; immediately after; at the thought of; when I think about
(looking) blankly; vacantly; dazedly; (staring) in puzzlement; with a look of amazement
as is; as it is; as things are; like this; this way; at this rate
style; way; shape; dress; attire; clothing
finding employment; getting a job
public employee; government employee; public-sector worker; public servant; civil servant
to succeed (a person, to a position, etc.); to inherit; to patch (clothes); to mend; to add (e.g. charcoal to the fire); to replenish with
to open up a path; to clear a path; to open up doors; to pave the way
to stand up straight; to stick up (e.g. of hair); to stand up abruptly; to jump to one's feet; to stand (doing nothing); to stand around
scenery; scene; landscape
to change (with time, the ages, the seasons, etc.); to shift
choice; selection; option
no more than; just; only; mere; goes no further than
to persevere; to persist; to insist that; to stick to (one's opinion); to remain in a place; to stick to one's post
direction; orientation; bearing; course (e.g. of action)
still; yet; more; still more; furthermore; in addition
stairs; stairway; staircase
to go past; to pass; to pass by
occasion; time; circumstances; (in) case (of); when
fleeting (glimpse, glance, etc.)
to compare; to make a comparison (between); to compete (on); to measure (one's strength, ability, etc. against another's)
different (quality, nature); heterogeneous