lower floor; downstairs; bottom of the stairs; foot of the stairs
naked; bare; uncovered; frank; open; blunt
thick fog (of suspicion); black veil of secrecy; covered-up crime, unethical act, etc.
shallow; superficial; slight (wound); light (sleep); short (time); early
to sob convulsively; to heave with sobs
dots; spots; bit by bit; little by little; here and there; scattered
parting (of people); separation; farewell; breakup
uncertain; doubtful; unreliable; unsteady; unclear; vague
stairs; stairway; staircase
haggardness; emaciation; wasting away; being tired out; being worn out; exhaustion
laying one's head in someone's lap; using someone's lap for a pillow
the skin (of a human being); warmth of the skin; body warmth
whether one likes it or not; inevitably; unavoidably; compulsorily; by force
association (of ideas); being reminded (of something); suggestion
good; fine; excellent; favorable; favourable; satisfactory
top of ...; head of ...; the moment that ...
schoolyard; school playground; school grounds; campus
dispatch; despatch; deployment; temporary employee (esp. from an agency); temporary worker; agency temp
engineer; technical expert; technician; craftsperson
to disdain; to look down on; to make light of; to hold in contempt; to scorn; to despise
in 8 or 9 cases out of ten; in all probability
protection; safeguard; guardianship; preservation; conservation
main; principal; main dish; main course; main part; principal part
throwing in; inserting; investment; commitment (of funds, personnel, etc.); launching (a product into the market); introduction
later on; eventually; afterwards
conquest; subjugation; overcoming (a difficulty); conquering (e.g. a mountain); mastery (of a skill)
well-informed person; thinking person; intelligent person
beyond help; past salvation; incorrigible; irredeemable
halfway-done; mediocre; uncertain; half-heartedly; insufficiently
of all (things, people, places, days, etc.)
to pick a fight; to pick a quarrel
after all; in the end; anyway; (cannot) possibly; (not) at all; (not) by any means
unsatisfying; disappointing; abrupt; not enough; too quick; too short
blinding someone's eyes (to make an escape); smoke screen; distraction; magic (trick); sleight of hand
to exploit a gap (in attention, security, etc.); to catch off guard
encouragement; spurring (on); cheering (on)
inquiry; enquiry; investigation; (police) interview; questioning (e.g. witness, suspect); hearing
school building; schoolhouse