work; workmanship; craftsmanship; artifice; trick; device
generally; in the main; (more or less) everything; all parts; ordinary; usual
fraud; swindle; graft; saying you're going to do something but in the end not doing it; making promises without keeping them
after all; in the end; anyway; (cannot) possibly; (not) at all; (not) by any means
tolerance level; permissible range; acceptable limits
prevention of crime; security (device, camera, etc.)
worst; horrible; horrid; in the worst case; if worst comes to worst
to deceive (with words); to cajole; to talk into; to explain away (e.g. unpleasant evidence); to argue away; to wheedle
writing off (a debt); cancellation; balancing the books; cancelling out (gains or losses); making even; making up (for)
the problem (at issue); the point at issue; problematic issue; problem
pointing out; identification
way (of doing); manner; method; means
suspicious-looking; shady; questionable; dubious; fishy
surely; undoubtedly; sternly; severely; having no slack; rigid
to fail; to blunder; to make a mess; to drink up; to eat up
vague; ambiguous; shady; disreputable; fuzzy
please (give me); please (do for me)
attentive; cautious; careful; watchful
average; medium; mid-grade (item); regular grade; same level as; equal to
crossing swords; competing against; contending with; fighting against
to become overgrown; to grow thick; to spread; to run rampant; to thrive
carnivore; carnivorous animal
predation; eating prey; preying upon
insect; bug; worm; roundworm; one's emotions; one's feelings; nervousness
to go through; to pierce; to run through (e.g. a river through a city); to pass through; to stick to (opinion, principles, etc.); to carry out
shell; husk; hull; pod; chaff
large hole; big deficit; heavy losses; long-shot win (in horse racing, etc.); big winnings (on a long shot)
ground; earth; the solid earth; the (vast) land
to be put in order; to be put to rights; to be disposed of; to be solved; to be finished; to be married (off)
nest; rookery; den; haunt; (spider's) web
as many as one likes; as much as one likes; great many; plenty; almost (none); (not) much
every place; various places
being dotted with; being scattered
target; object (of worship, study, etc.); subject (of taxation, etc.)
in regard to; concerning (usu. of disputes)
to stop by; to drop in for a short visit
increasingly; more and more; decreasingly (when declining); less and less
to come down; to go down; to hang; to dangle; to move back; to step back; to deteriorate
few; a little; scarce; insufficient; seldom
discovery; detection; finding
giving something a try because one has nothing to lose