dance hall; dance floor; landing (stairs); leveling off (e.g. in the economy); period of stagnation
B class; B grade; second rate
messenger; envoy; emissary
open; unconcealed; undisguised; broad; lewd; indecent
advantage; benefit; merit; good point; plus
falling lightly (e.g. snow, petals, confetti); fluttering; flickering; twinkling; appearing and disappearing; catching glimpses
in itself; the thing itself; this itself; for its own sake; per se
formidable enemy; strong enemy; tough enemy
to boast of; to be proud of; to take pride in
profit; gains; benefit; advantage; grace (of God, Buddha, etc.) (esp. as attained through rightful actions, prayer, adherence to one's faith, etc.); blessing
judging from; on the basis of; from the point of view of
valid; proper; right; appropriate; reasonable
frequently; repeatedly; eagerly; keenly; hard; terribly
signalling with the eyes; exchanging looks; winking
mean; malicious; scheming; wicked; black-hearted
tactician; schemer; intriguer; resourceful person
intuition; instinct; insight; hunch; immediacy
to have a catch; to have an ulterior motive; to be more (to something)
for two people's eyes to meet; catching someone's eye; making eye contact; meeting a person's gaze
to smile cheerfully; to crack a smile
to find fault (with); to cavil (at); to carp (about); to throw a wet blanket (on); to throw cold water (on); to jinx
even; (if) only; just; besides; on top of that
frame; framework; border; box; limit; restriction; category
sole; single; solo; independence; singleness; singularity
to tie; to bind; to bear (fruit); to close (e.g. deal); to confirm; to connect (two distant places); to close tightly
confidence; trust; faith; credit (finance)
to betray; to turn traitor to; to double-cross
to hesitate to say; to mumble; to hem and haw; to falter
suspicious-looking; shady; questionable; dubious; fishy
(real) ability; true strength; merit; arms; force
to compete; to contest; to quarrel; to argue; to deny (e.g. evidence)
had better ...; had better not ...
to hold back (e.g. emotions); to rein in (e.g. a horse, unruly people); to get the better of; to control; to command
to place (in position); to fix; to install; to seat (someone); to settle (upon something); to fix (e.g. one's gaze)
to take care of; to bring up under one's personal care; to kill with one's own hands; to do personally; to handle (e.g. a job); to request that someone deal with (something)
to scheme; to plan; to play a trick; to invent; to conspire; to frame up
liking something; being partial to something; -phile
buzz; hum; shake (with vigor); shaking
fleeting (glimpse, glance, etc.)
to take a breath; to take a short rest