few; little; small (amount); low; scarce; insufficient
bank; banking institution
confrontation; opposition; antagonism
wait-and-see (situation, stance, etc.); waiting to see (how things play out); watching developments (before acting); probe; probing move
soon; before long; slowly; quietly; already; about time
start of work; commencement; opening
courteous; decorous; polite
to get into an argument; to come to discuss; to be controversial (usu. as an adjectival phrase); to be contentious
anyhow; at all events; in any case; either way; anyway
I've heard that ...; rumour has it that ...; it appears as if ...
to connect; to correlate; to associate; to relate; to link
image (in one's mind); impression; (computer) image; depiction (e.g. of a product); rendition
sticking (in one place, position, etc.); settling; becoming established (of a custom, system, etc.); taking hold; fixation; fixing
setback; deadlock; standstill; impasse; miscarriage
point (of a story, argument, etc.); key point; point; site; point (in scoring); point (in a loyalty program); points
prompt decision; immediate decision; on-the-spot decision; summary judgment; summary judgement
to go smoothly; to turn out well; to do the trick; to have peaceful relations
the prospects look brighter; there is hope of accomplishing (something)
to swell; to rise; to bulge; to rouse; to get excited
maintaining the status quo
to smash; to crush; to shut down; to put out of business; to wreck; to break; to butcher
to stare in wonder; to be amazed
loss; damage; harm; disadvantage; handicap; drawback
collaborator; cooperator; coworker; ally
generous; soft-hearted; having a good personality
hard; solid; stiff; tight; strong; firm (not viscous or easily moved); safe
from the place (where); from the fact that ...; caused by the fact that ...; because
relation; connection; relevance
to become public; to become known; to come out in the open; to be formal; to be official
grateful; thankful; welcome; appreciated; evoking gratitude
rack; ruck (rugby); lac; luck
to extract; to pull out; to draw out; to headhunt; to lure away; to poach
illustration; picture; sketch; drawing; figure
to keep watching; to continue looking at; to gaze at
main constituent; core; nucleus; subject
group; faction; (political) faction; wing; school (of thought, painting, etc.); sect
revival; reconstruction; restoration; rebuilding; recovery; renaissance
sincere; earnest; serious