government official; clerk
present condition; existing state; status quo; current state
easy; likely to ...; have a tendency to ...; easy to ...
cannot bring oneself (to do); unable to bear (e.g. seeing)
unimpressive; unimpressed
collecting; accumulating; collection (of art, stamps, insects, etc.); garbage collection; waste collection
one eye; one of one's eyes
to close (one's eyes); to shut
shadow; shade; shading; nuance; shades of meaning; subtleties
before one's own eyes; from under one's very nose; without doing anything; without resistance; helplessly; negligently
to be idle; to slacken; to neglect (e.g. one's work)
value to society; raison d'être; existence value
to become rusted together; to become rusted shut; to rust; to become (completely) rusty; to become rusty (of a skill or ability); to become less effective
machine; mechanism; instrument; appliance; apparatus
bewilderment; perplexity; embarrassment; confusion
to find out; to discover; to locate
gear; cogwheel; cog (in an organization, company, etc.); cog in the machine
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
to blunder; to fail; to make a mistake
to harm; to hurt; to injure; to miss one's chance to (do something); to fail to (do what one ought to have done)
to be extremely cautious; to be as sure as sure can be; to make assurance doubly sure
bound hand and foot; hedged in (e.g. by restrictions); immobile
aloneness; loneliness; solitude
obedient; submissive; tame; slavish
to be clear (of a sight, sound, colour, etc.); to be bright; to be clear-headed; to be alert; to look upbeat; to be perky; to master (a skill)
no matter how much time passes
something broad and flat; common; ordinary; low-ranking employee; freshman
to slip out; to sneak away; to break into the lead; to get ahead; to begin to fall out (e.g. hair); to break out (of a loop)
to hold; to carry; to embrace (in one's arms)
secret medicine; secret remedy; nostrum; wonder drug; excellent remedy
new moon; first day of the lunar month; (in ancient China) next year's calendar and decrees (distributed by the Emperor at year's end)
reinforcement; augmentation; strengthening; increase; buildup
medicine; agent; (chemical) substance; drug; dose
far beyond one's power; not at all equal; no match for
side effect; adverse reaction
cripple; disabled person; invalid
to challenge (esp. in a lawsuit); to take on an opponent (in negotiations, contest, etc.)