friendly chat; pleasant chat; lighthearted talk; friendly conversation
darkish; dusky; dark; murky
upper class; upper echelons of society; the rich and powerful; the elite
superior (in rank); top; higher order (e.g. byte); host computer (of connected device)
flaunting; showing off; display (of power, wealth, etc.); ostentation
to drag into; to pull into; to lure inside; to win over; to entice into
to belong to; to come under; to be affiliated with; to be subject to
to stop; to halt; to have (someone) stay; to put up (a guest); to fasten; to pin
these days; nowadays; recently; lately
eloquence; fluency (of speech)
to flatter; to curry favour (with); to play up (to); to toady (to); to fawn (on)
pit of one's stomach; bottom of one's heart; one's true feelings; one's innermost thoughts
to plunder; to grab; to snatch
to count on the abacus; to calculate cost-benefit; to calculate profitability; to be guided by self-interest
doubt; suspicion; fear; apprehension
to whirl; to eddy; to swirl; to whirl around (of feelings, thoughts, etc.); to swirl around; to surge
sincerely; earnestly; wholeheartedly; repeatedly; over and over; again and again
to search for; to look for; to hunt for; to search (a house, pocket, etc.); to search through; to rummage in (e.g. a drawer)
something or other; one thing or another; this or that
upright; honest; faithful; conscientious; sincere
very caring; kind; helpful; service-minded
chance; start; opportunity; cause; reason; excuse
beyond one's means or position
noble; high and noble; noble (character); refined; precious; expensive
at a young age; while still young
heir; successor; family estate; family fortune; headship of a family
departure; departing from ...; sent from ...; (a letter, etc.) dated ...; counter for engines (on an aircraft); counter for gunshots, bursts of gas, etc.
inconsiderate; unkind; cruel; thoughtless; unthinking; mindless
to consider; to eye the possibility (of); to bring into view
to get (someone's) help; to ask for help
front stage; center stage (of politics, etc.)
to drag down; to pull down; to force out (of power, office, role, etc.)
to insult; to say something insulting about; to bad-mouth
unexpectedly; surprisingly; unexpected; unanticipated; unforeseen
cool; calm; composed; all right; fine; OK
to speak badly (of); to speak ill (of); to bad-mouth
to be discouraged; to be disheartened
shameful; disgraceful; unsightly; indecent; unseemly; unbecoming
answer; reply; response; answer; solution; result
greeting; a fine thing to say
hem; (trouser) cuff; bottom part; bottom edge; foot (of a mountain); tips (of hair)
to pinch; to hold (between one's fingers); to pick up and eat; to snack on; to pick out (the main point); to summarize