skill; ability; dexterity; performance; workmanship; craftsmanship
clumsy (work); awkward; poorly made; ugly (of a person); unattractive; plain
poor-looking; impoverished-looking; scrawny (e.g. figure); thin-looking; sparse (e.g. meal)
supply; provision; raising; procurement
to gather up; to scrape up together; to rake
only because ...; definitely not; certainly not; if actually
to press; to oppress; to dominate; to overwhelm
banter; raillery; ridicule; teasing; making fun of
to appoint; to nominate; to consider (oneself) to be; to pose as; to assume (a role, responsibility, etc.); to take on
to embrace; to hug; to have; to possess; to command; to lead
grounding (in a skill or subject); knowledge; training; achievements; attainments; accomplishments
unnatural; affected; studied; forced
certainly; absolutely; (not even) a little bit; diligently
to have one's attention caught (by); to be distracted (by); to be preoccupied (with); to be captivated (by); to be absorbed (in)
(great mental) resources; quick brain; resourcefulness; good wits
rear gate (esp. of castle); back entrance; (opponent's) weak point; (arch.) force attacking the rear of a castle; (arch.) official in charge of imprisoning offenders
negligence; carelessness; inattention; unpreparedness
to finish reading; to read through; to figure out; to fully anticipate
to be too numerous; to be too much
to coquet (of a woman); to entice a customer (of a prostitute); to flatter; to butter up
large part; greater part; people in general; general public; mostly; for the most part
a head (e.g. taller or shorter); noticeable difference (in competitors' results)
to surpass; to outdo; to excel; to tower above (the surrounding landscape)
dirt; filth; stain; blot; spot
to make an appeal; to urge
one may well say so, but ...; even more than
to show contempt for; to look down upon; to have a low opinion of; to cause to fall; to make decline
flowery words; rhetorical flourishes
monopoly; monopolization; exclusivity; hogging; keeping to oneself
to have the personal support of (an influential person); to be under the patronage of
shrewd; astute; cunning; alert
artifice; wiles; trickery; art of a courtesan (esp. for seducing or deceiving customers); coquetry
(all) through (e.g. the night); throughout (e.g. the year); within (e.g. the week); in the course of (e.g. today); all over; throughout (e.g. the world)
still; much more; (not) yet; still a long way to go; still a long way off; not there yet
to set foot into; to enter; to step inside; to cross the threshold
literary and military arts; the pen and the sword