defense; defence; protection
way of talking; speaking style
to follow around; to shadow; to tag along; to haunt one (e.g. feeling, failure); to follow one
direction; orientation; bearing; course (e.g. of action)
fastidiousness; love of cleanliness
character (of a person); personality; disposition; characteristics; nature (of a thing, event, etc.)
opposite side; bottom; rear; back; lining; inside; in the shadows
at the last moment; this late in the game
obvious; clear; plain; evident; apparent; explicit
bad (taste); unpalatable; poor; unskillful; ugly; unattractive
strong point; merit; virtue; advantage
body; oneself; one's place; one's position; main part; meat (as opposed to bone, skin, etc.)
achievements; actual results; accomplishments; past results; track record
valuation; appraisal; evaluation; appreciation; recognition; acknowledgement
proper; appropriate; due; suitable
implicitly; indirectly; tacitly; by implication; obscurely
low (rank, degree, value, content, quality, etc.); low (position); close to the ground; short (height); deep (voice); in a low key
by all means; at any cost; whether (one is) willing or not; willingly or unwillingly; on no account; by no means
contradiction; inconsistency
top brass; upper echelon; higher-ups; top management; upper reaches; top of the pile
to lose; to be defeated; to succumb; to give in; to be inferior to; to break out in a rash due to (e.g. lacquer, shaving, etc.)
disadvantage; handicap; unfavorable position
destruction (esp. of evidence); spoliation; suppression; hiding; concealment
(social) class; rank; grade
many; much; majority (of); greater part (of); mostly; mainly
person concerned; people involved (in an event); those concerned; staff
(one) matter; (one) item; (one) case
to receive; to get; to eat; to drink; to be crowned with; to wear (on one's head)
mutually; with each other; reciprocally; together
to exchange glances; to look at each other; to postpone; to put off; to contrast; to compare
claim; insistence; assertion; advocacy; emphasis; contention
many; numerous; large amount of; large quantity of; frequent; common
topic; subject; much talked about; topical; in the news
direction; district; area; field (e.g. of study); sphere; quarter
to ascertain; to make sure of; to determine; to probe; to get to the bottom (of something)
statement; remark; observation; utterance; speech; proposal
to give; to confer; to bestow; to kindly do for one; to oblige; to favour
inspection; examination; check
perhaps; maybe; perchance; by some chance; by any chance