fool; someone beneath one's contempt
if anything; if pushed I'd say; if I had to say
metamorphosis; disguise; transformation; shapeshifting; morphing
snakeheads; Chinese criminal gangs, esp. for smuggling Chinese immigrants
criminal condemned to death; convict on death row
grandmother; old woman; female senior citizen
unjustified; unwarranted; unfounded; baseless; groundless
punishment; judgement; judgment
everyone; everybody; ladies and gentlemen
weeding out; elimination (e.g. of unneeded employees); culling; selection (e.g. natural selection)
any time now (waiting, hoping for something to happen)
overall victory; championship
one's face turning pale (ashen); the color being drained from one's face
to grow weary; to get tired of
reading partway; leaving half-read
difficult to understand; unintelligible; abstruse
wide; extensive; comprehensive; far-reaching; widespread
firmly rooted; deep-seated
to the very end; to the bitter end; to the last; to the hilt; thoroughly
(political) administration; political power
practice game; practice match; scrimmage; workout
to refer to; to use as reference
to stay on (e.g. at one's friends house); to remain in the same neighborhood
breaking off a relationship; permanent breach of friendship; rupture
ability; competency; talent; skill; capacity
indicates concession or compromise; indicates permission
mourning; mourning period; anniversary of one's death
one's social position; one's place; one's standing