friend; ally; supporter; taking sides with; supporting; standing by
evil; wickedness; (role of) the villain (in theatre, etc.); the bad guy
science (inc. mathematics, medicine, etc.); natural science; science department (university); science course; science (as a school subject)
semifinal game of a tournament
taking the field first, thus batting second
sign (of things to come); good omen; good sign
not straightforward; not dealt with by ordinary means
obligation; favour; favor; debt of gratitude
to reward; to recompense; to repay; to retaliate; to get revenge
lead; leading; lead (of a newspaper, etc.); lede; lead (wire); lead (e.g. dog); leash
hey!; over here!; OK; gotcha; yep
a complete turnabout via a single blow
sudden; abrupt; unexpected; unforeseen
the present; present time; as of; present tense; this world; this life
first time; first innings; initial attempt; first; initial
scoreless (game or competition)
how; in what way; how (much); to what extent; however (much); no matter how
using freely; making full use of; having a good command of; working (someone) hard; driving (someone) on
lost point (in a game); point given away; run charged to the pitcher; blunder; mistake
getting on base; reaching first base; times on base; TOB
count of balls and strikes
to cut one's way through; to tide over; to struggle through; to get over
pinch; crisis; tough spot; clothespin
decisive moment; turning point; critical moment; win-or-bust situation
(initial) setup; installation
swing (of a golf club, tennis racket, etc.); swing (boxing); swing
to shave (wood, leather, etc.); to sharpen (e.g. pencil); to cut down (budget, expenses, staff, time, etc.); to curtail; to delete; to erase
fatigue; weariness; exhaustion; tiredness
sale; selling; selling point; gimmick; seller; vendor
selection (esp. from many people for an important job position); exceptional promotion
potential; latent faculties; potential capacities
to stare at; to look hard at; to look up and down; to scrutinize; to scrutinise
to make sure of; to ascertain; to confirm; to grasp
going ahead; going first; preceding; coming before; scoring first; getting off to a lead
stage; step; level; rank; order; stairs
breaking ball (pitch); curve ball; screwball
leaf; blade (of grass); (pine) needle; marijuana; cannabis