dull sound; muffled sound
to meet; to face someone; to co-star; to appear together; to be matched; to face against
to begin to open; to come out; to smile broadly; to come apart at the seams (clothes)
eyes; expression of the eyes; area around the eyes; skin round one's eyes
border; boundary; turning point; watershed; area; region
as ... as one can; as ... as possible; as much as possible
to love (someone weaker than oneself); to be affectionate towards; to treat with tender loving care
to hold one's tongue; to shut up
to hold a thing in one's arms; to carry in one's arms; to embrace (e.g. a baby); to take upon oneself; to be saddled with
to be relieved; to feel relieved
load; baggage; cargo; burden; responsibility
to be bothered (by something); to suffer
collusion; conspiracy; common-law marriage; illicit intercourse; liaison
decision; settlement; definition
to collude (with); to conspire (with); to make friends with; to get along well with; to become intimate (with opposite sex); to establish a secret liaison (with)
world; society; people; the public
pecking order; hierarchical relationship; vertical relationship; hyponymy
siblings; brothers and sisters
story; tale; narrative; account; fable; legend
to raise; to bring up; to rear; to cultivate; to foster; to nurture
miscarriage; (spontaneous) abortion; abortive birth
awkward; uncomfortable; embarrassing
daddy's girl; daddy's boy
crime; sin; penalty; sentence; fault; responsibility
tendency; trend; inclination
restoration; rehabilitation; recovery; recovery (from an illness); recuperation; convalescence
to often be the case; to occur frequently; to be common; to be popular
to act (a part); to play (a role); to perform (a play, etc.); to put on (a production); to commit (a blunder); to disgrace oneself
thinly; slightly; vaguely; a little
self-torturing; masochistic
may; might; perhaps; may be; possibly
to express in a refined fashion; to weave a web of words
to keep (something) a secret; to keep hidden (for ever); to continue to conceal
student of a girls' school
to have a catch; to have an ulterior motive; to be more (to something)
quite indifferent; looking blank; looking as though one has nothing at all to do with what is going on
tone of command; authoritative tone; commanding tone
expressing one's feelings; communicating one's intention; declaration of intent
quietly; slowly; gracefully
destination; whereabouts; future; prospects
one o'clock; once; at one time; for a time; for a while; a time