no concern of mine; nothing to do with me
thick; bulky; massive; heavy
unexplored region; secluded region; place off the beaten track
exploration party; expedition team
fine performance; excellent acting
acting ability; talent as a performer
malicious; spiteful; vicious; shady and damp
intention; inclination; mind; idea; wish; view
surprise attack; surprise visit; catching a person off guard
to keep someone from doing; to stop; to prevent; to check; to hinder; to obstruct
carelessly; thoughtlessly; inadvertently
to exploit a gap (in attention, security, etc.); to catch off guard
one person; another name; nickname; alias
meaning; point (e.g. of a statement); gist; goal; intent; object
while it may be true that; just because; nevertheless; not necessarily
treacherous; dangerous; untrustworthy; sneaky; cunning
head start; initiative; preemption
darn it!; darn!; oops!; oh dear!; oh no!
occurring in succession; doing in succession; firing in rapid succession; volley of shots; volley (of questions, abuse, etc.); stream
age difference; disparity in age; age gap
to make (the best) use of; to put to good use; to let live; to keep alive; to revive; to resuscitate
head; brains; intellect; understanding
live coals (for firelighting); cause (of disturbance, conflict, etc.); trigger
contrary to expectations; or so we thought, but ...
to lose heart; to lose interest; to become stale (i.e. of a carbonated beverage); to go flat; to lose focus; to let one's guard down
to sense; to infer; to gather; to pick up on; to get wind of; to perceive
to enter; to go in; to set (of the sun or moon); to sink; to attain (nirvana, enlightenment, etc.); to achieve
(in the) palm of someone's hand; (under) someone's complete control; (at) someone's mercy
radiant smile; contented smile
fearless; daring; knowing no fear
top; top position; senior management; senior bureaucrat; home page (of a website)
to come back; to bloom a second time
to make good; to improve; to do often; to be kind to; to treat well
addition; adding; supplement
training; education; stocking up; laying in; preparation (e.g. ingredients); girl studying to become a geisha
without; unacceptable; not alright; (arch.) nonexistent; (arch.) not being (there)
(personal) appearance; (personal) grooming; essential skill; required knowledge
to rank (as); to occupy (a position); to be located (in); to be situated
sloppy; slovenly; slipshod; negligent; loose; unkempt
shameful; disgraceful; unsightly; indecent; unseemly; unbecoming
to hold back (e.g. emotions); to rein in (e.g. a horse, unruly people); to get the better of; to control; to command