majority; more than half; most (of); mostly; largely; mainly
here and there; in twos and threes; sporadically; now and then; from time to time; occasionally
ring; circle; hoop; wheel; circle (e.g. of friends)
center; centre; middle; -centered; -centred; -focused
tension; mental strain; nervousness
to have a cramp; to twitch; to stiffen (of a face, expression); to freeze; to shrink (of skin, due to a scar); to tauten
establishment; creation; posing (a problem); options setting; preference settings; configuration
principle; aim; purport; gist; instructions; orders
pretext; history; past; according to ...; ... says
impact (on); (strong) impression; effect; impact (of a ball against a racket, bat, club, etc.)
to attract attention; to come into the limelight
present stage; current phase; current rank; present grade
head start; initiative; preemption
ground; crust (earth); foundation (building, etc.); base; constituency; power base
hardening; fortifying; pledge; vow; defense; defence
large quantity; massive (quantity); mass (e.g. mass production, mass transit, mass destruction)
to relax one's efforts; to let up; to let one's guard down
readiness; preparedness; resolution; resignation
to push aside; to push one's way through
moderate (degree); proper (amount); temperate; suitable
to wear (formal clothing) in a casual fashion
friendly; openhearted; sociable; amiable; good-humored; good-humoured
to take more time than expected; to take a long time; to be delayed
to change; to alter; to reform; to correct; to examine; to check
year; counter for years (e.g. of an era), grades (e.g. school); period of an apprentice's contract (usu. ten years)
some time ago; recently; lately; last (Sunday, etc.); previous
full of confidence; brimming with (self-)confidence; having great faith in oneself
qualitative difference; disparity; gap
to place persons opposite; to come face to face with; to compare (with); to check (against); to match
to stake; to risk; to bet; to wager
more; much more; step; rung; paragraph; passage
what one desires; what one hopes for; suits me well; could ask for nothing better; bring it on
from the start; from the beginning; from the outset