plausible; believable; solemn; dignified; serious
with a start; in a fright; alarmedly
to press down; to hold down; to pin down; to suppress (feelings, disorder, opposition, etc.); to repress
large part; greater part; people in general; general public; mostly; for the most part
toy; (person or thing treated as a) plaything
joining (a club, organization, etc.); becoming a member; entry; admission; subscription; affiliation
secret (method, trick, etc.); key (e.g. to success); mysteries (of an art, trade, etc.); recipe; trick
the place for; the time for; the level of
to shout; to cry (out); to yell; to scream; to clamour
resentment; grudge; pent-up anger; frustration; bitterness
one breath; time of one breath; pause; break; (doing in) one go; doing without stopping
main topic; main subject; main issue; this subject
to brace oneself; to focus one's energies; to focus one's mind
one copy (of a document); one letter; one-way traffic; pure straight; winning hand containing nine consecutive tiles of the same suit (i.e. 1-9)
to take in one's hand; to pick up; to obtain
to give (time, money, goods); to donate; to do; to perform; to apply (processing, makeup, etc.); to add (e.g. ornamentation, annotation)
written notification; notification (written)
going on ahead; forestalling; anticipating; arrival before another
compulsion; coercion; forcing (to do); enforcement
to open one's eyes wide (in astonishment, wonder, etc.); to be wide-eyed; to be amazed
not going (well); not proceeding (as one wishes); bad; not good; hopeless; beyond hope
delivery; transfer; hand-over
meticulous; careful; discreet; scrupulous; prudent
goes without saying; needless to say; obvious
to forbid; to ban; to prohibit; to suppress (a feeling, laughter, etc.); to hold back (e.g. tears)
official announcement; proclamation; issuance (of an order, ordinance, or warning)
peremptory command; must-obey order; absolute instruction; categorical imperative
that's the way it is; such is life
to make a decision; to draw a conclusion; to give a judgement; to hand down a verdict; to let go down; to lower; to do oneself
to catch up (with); to draw level; to pull even; to be compensated; to make up for one's losses
competent; suitable; qualified
to straighten up and stick one's chest out; to throw oneself back (e.g. in a chair); to lean back (arrogantly); to assume a haughty attitude; to behave arrogantly
refusal; rejection; denial; veto
top brass; upper echelon; higher-ups; top management; upper reaches; top of the pile
underling; person of low standing; grunt; petty (work, official, etc.); minor; lowly
busy; occupied; hectic; restless; hurried; fidgety