stand-offish; distant; not frank; watery (alcohol, coffee, etc.)
at this stage; at this point; (only) now
disillusionment; disillusion; disenchantment
pretending not to know; feigning ignorance
commodity; article of commerce; goods; stock; merchandise
to boast of; to be proud of; to take pride in
negative (e.g. thinking); negative; negative (electrical polarity)
congratulations!; well done!; best wishes!; all the best!
big hit; smash hit; popular item (e.g. movie, music)
to pick up; to pick out (e.g. key points in an article); to single out; to point out
contribution (to a newspaper, magazine, etc.); submission; post (on a blog, social media, etc.)
giving two or three light tugs (or pushes); (arch.) worrying about; (arch.) moping; (arch.) suddenly angry; (arch.) feeling a surge of anger
something; some kind of; for some reason
sneakily; secretly; stealthily; on the sly
consultation; discussion; discussing; asking (someone) for advice
resourcefulness; ability (esp. to earn a living); dependability; reliability
seeing through (a trick, someone's mind, etc.)
course (of a road, moving object, etc.); way; course (of events, action, etc.); direction (e.g. an argument is heading in); reasoning; logic
and so; therefore; for that reason
making; forming; cultivating; form; appearance
to do for (someone); to take in; to deceive; to hoodwink
to show appreciation for (efforts, esp. by someone of equal or lower status); to thank for; to reward for
contribution (furthering a goal or cause); services (to a cause); paying tribute; tribute
to become twisted; to grow distorted; to get sulky; to sulk; to grow bitter; to become embittered
strategy meeting; council of war
regrettable; disappointing; precious; dear; too good for; deserving better
promising; hopeful; full of promise
fierce; intense; severe; very; extremely; terribly
(talent) scout; recruiter; scouting; headhunting; Boy Scouts; Girl Scouts
(telephone) call; ring (of a telephone); shout; call; call; call loan (e.g. 30-day call)
perfectly in sync; in step (dancing); on the same wavelength
manuscript; copy; draft; notes; contribution
purveyor (to the Imperial Household, etc.); company (or restaurant, place, etc.) that caters to or is popular with a specific clientele
supermarket; subtitles; telop; superheterodyne; super
progress; advance; making (good) progress
confinement; imprisonment; incarceration