perhaps; probably; generous; many; much
insincere smile; ingratiating smile; polite smile; forced smile
important; serious; valuable; precious; serious matter; major incident
inside one's heart; in one's mind
to laugh to oneself; to smile to oneself
to look down on; to treat with contempt; to treat disparagingly; to sneer at
once; one time; one round; one game; one bout; one heat
necessary; needed; essential; necessity; need; requirement
not less than; ... and over; beyond (e.g. one's expectations); above; above-mentioned; aforementioned
as one would expect; just as you'd expect (from); still; all the same; even ... (e.g. "even a genius")
to be fed up (with); to be tired (of); to be stumped; to be nonplussed; to wince; to shrink back
to become serious; to take something seriously (joke, teasing); to become irritated or angry (usu. at something trivial); to get worked up
what?!; what did you say?!; why?; what for?; anyone; anything
so; like this; in this way
insistent; obstinate; persistent; too rich (taste, etc.); fatty; heavy
to mind; to care about; to be an issue; to matter; to keep company; to care for; to interfere with
uncomfortable feeling; feeling out of place; sense of discomfort; malaise; physical unease
one; for one thing; only; (not) even; just (e.g. "just try it"); some kind of; one type of
flair; flash; insight; flash (of inspiration, wit, etc.); waving (e.g. of a flag in the wind)
to give birth; to bear (child); to lay (eggs); to produce; to yield; to give rise to
mystery novel; detective novel; whodunit
offender; criminal; culprit
thinking; thought; idea; notion; intention; plan
plot; scheme; trick; design; intrigue; artifice
reasoning; inference; deduction; mystery or detective genre
approximately; about; only; nothing but; just (finished, etc.)
self-confidence; confidence (in oneself)
what's the matter?; what's wrong?; what happened (to) ...?; what have you done (with) ...?; where is ...?
suddenly; all of a sudden; abruptly
interest; eagerness; enthusiasm
positive; assertive; active; proactive; aggressive
to bring up a subject; to touch on a matter
to be surprised; to be astonished
appearing ...; looking ...; way to ...; method of ...ing; form; style
to also be (implies that as well as the earlier stated this is also the case); to be ... or something
glaring; flaming; fiery; blazing
eyes sparkling; with shining eyes; for one's eyes to gleam
to lie in wait (for); to be on the watch (for); to wait (for); to watch (for)
long-awaited; much-awaited
to declare; to assert; to say bluntly; to say straight out
decisively; decidedly; boldly; precisely; exactly
dear me!; good gracious!; well; let me see; now
before long; soon; almost; nearly; finally; in the end
force; vigor; influence; authority; impetus; momentum
to hold aloft (e.g. a sword); to brandish
no sooner than; as soon as; immediately after; at the thought of; when I think about
hit; success; guess; prediction; affability; friendliness; sensation