to care for someone; to look after someone
drawn-out (protracted) war or contest
technology; engineering; technique; skill; art; craft
to regain one's footing; to get back on one's feet; to recover; (of the market) to improve
dusk; twilight; twilight years; melancholia; melancholic nostalgia
final conclusion; end product
to revise (amend) the law
prime minister (as the head of a cabinet government); premier
when it comes to ...; if one were to speak of ...; by ... you mean ...; when you say ... you mean that ...; whenever ...; if it's ... then (without fail)
correction; revision; amendment
to break; to be broken; to be folded; to give in; to back down; to turn (a corner)
affectation; pretension; thin veneer; blunt sword with a tempered steel edge
I would rather; I would as lief do; strong preference
to succeed; to relieve; to take the place of; to substitute for; to be exchanged; to change (places with)
day of the Ox (esp. in midsummer or midwinter)
to be better (than); to be superior; to surpass; to excel; to be excellent
flexibility; pliability; softness; elasticity
riddled with holes; full of holes; full of flaws; full of loopholes; faulty
to abate; to decrease; to diminish; to shorten
weapon; arms; ordnance; weapon (something used to gain an advantage); asset
to handle (men); to master (a tool); to manage; to acquire a command of (a language)
sword (esp. a large, double-edged one); blade; bayonet; swordsmanship; stinger; ovipositor
linear; rectilinear; straight-line; straightforward; simple
irregular; unsystematic; unsteady; disorderly
how; in what way; how about; questionable
user; consumer; master (e.g. of swordsmanship); prodigal; spendthrift
phantasmagoric; protean; shape-shifting; kaleidoscopic; capable of ever-changing appearance
guard; protector; defensive armament; personal armor (armour)
tool; implement; means; furniture
-ing and -ing (e.g. "coming and going"); doing such things as ...; expresses a command; (arch.) to be; (arch.) indicates completion or continuation of an action
proficiency; mastery; becoming proficient (in)
can do nothing but ...; have no choice but to ...; there is nothing to do but ...; cannot help ...
each time it happens; at all such times
to get the hang of; to learn the secret to
the front; honest; upright; decent
to supplement; to make up for; to compensate for; to cover (a shortage, loss, etc.); to fill (e.g. a vacancy)
ordinary; average; common; normal; like the average person; like most people
to comfort; to console; to amuse
trouble; hardship; difficulty; anxiety; worry; concern