unsuitable; inappropriate; improper
withering; shrivelling; shrinking; contraction; atrophy
sharp (words); harsh (manner, tone, etc.); hostile (mood, attitude, etc.); spiky; prickly; jagged
displeasure; discomfort; unpleasantness; indisposition; ailment
the latter; the second; successor; descendant
right to decide; having say (in a decision)
far away; far off; far; long ago; long before
even so (expressing frustration, etc.); still
dealing with; coping with
for a long time; since long ago; always; already; far in advance (e.g. reservation)
incomplete; unfinished; imperfect
to (keep in) mind; to give heed to; to pay attention to
most important work (of a writer, artist, etc.); representative work; masterpiece; magnum opus; major work
weak point; weakness; shortcoming; defect; flaw; sore spot
to say in other words; to put another way; to express in different words; to reword; to rephrase
belief; faith; conviction
detective; investigator; sleuth; detective work; secret investigation
point in common; common feature
nature (of a person); disposition; temperament; quality; inherent characteristic; property
reasoning; inference; deduction; mystery genre; detective genre
core; heart (of the matter); point; crux; kernel
sign; indication; omen; symptom
in advance; beforehand; previously; ahead of time
exclusion; removal; elimination; clearing away; getting rid of
by extension; in turn; by the same token; in addition; as well; consequently
to push aside; to thrust aside; to brush aside; to reject; to remove; to take out
to walk behind someone; to follow in someone's footsteps
to speak sharply (e.g. during a heated discussion or argument)
sweet-smelling; fragrant; aromatic; good (reputation, condition, results, etc.); favorable
10th day of the month; ten days
key to a solution; first step toward a solution; thread to unravel a mystery
dead (money, stock, etc.); dead (ball); dead (sound, room); with little reverberation
uneasy; unsure; unreliable; untrustworthy; (arch.) nervous; (arch.) impatient
adjustment; tweaking; improvement; modification; tinkering; minor alteration
far away; far off; nowhere near; far cry
why?; what for?; how?; by what means?
irritation; annoyance; frustration
for tears to gather in one's eyes; for tears to well up in one's eyes
gentle; peaceable; amicable; without fuss; simply
as one likes; as one wants; as one wishes; as one hopes; as one sees fit; to one's satisfaction
sobbing; weeping; fit of crying
fragile; brittle; delicate; sensitive