laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
sacrifice; victim (esp. someone killed); casualty; sacrifice (to a deity)
reluctantly; grudgingly; unwillingly
eyeball; special feature; centerpiece; special program; loss leader; sunny-side up fried egg
central part; heart (of a city, etc.)
castle wall; town walls; defensive wall; rampart
street; quarter; district; area
outer circumference; perimeter; outskirts; periphery
to have a cramp; to be pulled too tight
poor; needy; lacking (quantity and quality-wise); poor; scanty
wall; partition; barrier; obstacle; Chinese "Wall" constellation (one of the 28 mansions); wall (of stones)
to dig up; to unearth; to uncover
to be erected; to be built
subway; metro; underground (railway)
to give up (all thoughts of); to abandon; to despair of; to make up one's mind; to make a decision; to decide
ground; crust (earth); foundation (building, etc.); base; constituency; power base
strength and weakness; (degree of) strength; stress (of a sound); loudness
to check through; to thoroughly investigate
to step aside; to move (out of the way); to make way; to resign; to retire; to quit
subsurface exploration (geotechnical investigation)
remarkable ability; mastery; brilliant technique; go-getter; resourceful person; wizard
magician; wizard; sorcerer; witch; mage
water vein; underground stream of water; waterway
location (of something); whereabouts; hiding place
cavity; hollow; cave; hollow
brittle; fragile; weak; tender-hearted; sentimental; easily moved
soil; breeding ground (for); fertile ground (for)
remodeling; remodelling; reconstruction; modding
Saturday; earth; dirt; land; lands; earth (third of the five elements)
system; lineage; ancestry; group (e.g. of colors) (colours); family (e.g. of languages); close (evolutionary) relationship
nature (of a person); disposition; temperament; quality; inherent characteristic; property
banzai; hurray; something to cheer about; something worthy of celebration; giving up; throwing one's hands up
science and technology; technology; scientific techniques
eccentric; crank; weirdo; oddball
different (quality, nature); heterogeneous
to make fun of; to look down on; to make light of