to grow senile; to be childish with age; to be mentally slow; to be befuddled; to play stupid; to say something stupid (oft. on purpose; esp. as part of a comedic routine)
immersing oneself in; being absorbed in; devoting oneself to; giving oneself up entirely to
very interesting; of absorbing interest; having a keen interest (in); being immensely curious (about)
to look into; to peep into; to peer into
but; however; provided that
close adhesion; sticking firmly (to); relating closely (to); having relevance (to); contact printing
pole; rod; line; dash; spoken monotonously
the rest; the others; in addition (to that); besides that; and so forth; and the like
small; fine; detailed; stingy
to be scattered about; to disperse; to be littered (with)
to make up a shortfall; to cover a shortage; to compensate for a shortage; to fill a gap
what's the best thing to do?; what to do?
conclusion (of an argument, discussion, study, etc.); conclusion
aperture; bore; calibre; caliber
theory; reason; logic; (unreasonable) argument; strained logic; excuse
destructive power; destructive energy; destructive force
reaction; recoil; kick; backlash
secret; secrecy; mystery; secret (e.g. to success); esoteric teachings
judging from appearances; to all appearances; from the looks of it; on the face of it; apparently; seemingly
main; principal; chief; primary; major
in proportion to; just as much as
huge; vast; enormous; swelling; expansion
to re-think; to think back upon; to change one's mind
sad; miserable; unhappy; sad; lamentable; deplorable
starting work (on); setting to work (on); commencing (a crime); playing (a move)
to gain in skill; to improve; to get better
most suitable; optimum; optimal; best
materials; ingredients; material (for a novel, experiment, etc.); subject matter; grounds (for a decision, judgement, etc.); basis
to be complete; to be all present; to be equal; to be uniform; to gather; to assemble
crisp (not moist or juicy); crunchy; crunching sound (of walking on snow, frost, sand, etc.); doing skillfully and efficiently; doing quickly; (arch.) sound of pouring liquid
forum (in an ancient Roman city); form; shape
self-satisfaction; (self-)complacency; smugness
to be soaked in; to be flooded; to be submerged; to be immersed in (joy, memories, alcohol, etc.); to give oneself over to; to bask in
reaching a stopping place; settling down (before the next stage); getting to a point where one can rest; one paragraph
reason; cause; meaning; sense; (good) sense; reason
to finger; to touch; to make changes to; to tinker with; to dabble in; to do as a hobby
to become less crowded; to thin out; to get empty; to be hungry