shady; underhanded; questionable
strong point; merit; virtue; advantage
defect; demerit; weak point; disadvantage
to be obsessive (about); to be overly concerned (with); to be particular (about); to pay special attention (to); to get stuck; to be obstructed
to cause casualties; to result in deaths
disastrous; tragic; miserable; wretched; pitiful; woeful
exchange (of words, views, punches, cups, etc.); give-and-take; reply; answer; response
big quarrel; huge fight; big row
amateur; layman; respectable woman (i.e. not a prostitute, hostess, geisha); (arch.) unlicensed prostitute
meddling (in); butting in; interference; poking one's nose into
irrational (line of) argument
breakdown (of talks, negotiations, etc.); breaking off; rupture
to turn up (of evidence, etc.); to become known; to be arrested; to be caught (of a criminal); to be moved to a higher position (of a body part); to be raised (e.g. of a hand to ask a question)
domestic discord; internal discord; internal strife; internal struggle; infighting
good news; happy news; glad tidings
uneasy feeling; sense of anxiety; malaise
very rare; very unlikely (to happen); scarcely; seldom; improbable; almost never (occurring)
to tangle; to get tangled; to have poor control over (one's tongue, feet, etc.); to trip over; to become complicated; to become difficult
to mope; to brood; to be in low spirits; to have the blues
instability; insecurity; crankiness
to a greater or lesser extent (degree); more or less
to swallow (e.g. a story); to accept without questioning; to swallow (food) whole; to gobble up; to gulp down
national (e.g. hero, pastime, consensus); relevant to all citizens; popular on a national level
ostentation; show; affectation
managerial liability; executive responsibility; accountability
coming to a head; coming to the surface; becoming an issue; breaking
to write (e.g. a letter); to draw up (a document); to take down (e.g. notes); to have (lunch, dinner, etc.); to eat
decider; person who decides; decisive factor; clincher; key
responsibility; liability; blame; torture; torment
locked up feeling; cooped up feeling; feeling of entrapment; feeling of hopelessness; being in a bind
(outward) appearance; (proper) format (e.g. of an essay); form; appearances; decency; lip-service
prepublication censorship
to rewrite; to overwrite; to renew; to transfer
pent-up resentment; grudges and hard feelings