to be helpful; to be dependable; to stand by (someone)
maid; helper; help; assistance
senior; elder; person older than oneself
to be; to come; to go; to be (doing)
have to (do, be); must (do, be); is indispensable; is absolutely necessary
reason ends where love begins; in love, reason takes flight; love is a blind guide; love makes fools of us all; (lit.) love is blind
to count on; to expect; to put confidence in; to trust in; to depend on
to lament; to grieve; to regret; to deplore
to shake one's head (in denial)
softly; gently; stealthily; secretly; to leave alone; to leave as it is
whispering into a person's ear
(animal) feed; fodder; pet food; bait; lure; enticement
to distract one's attention
armaments; military preparations
ratio; proportion; match; equal; compared with ...; relative to ...
how; in what way; how about
grasping; seizing; holding; commanding; having control over
(world of) politics; political world; political circles
relation; connection; affinity
to tie; to bind; to bear (fruit); to close (e.g. deal); to confirm; to connect (two distant places); to close tightly
leading; foremost; preeminent; outstanding; one of the best
economic strength; economic power; economic might
smelling burnt; smelling scorched; smelling of gunpowder (i.e. as if armed conflict is about to break out); tense; suspicious; dubious
arms buildup; military expansion
thinly; slightly; vaguely; a little
main point; essential point; important thing; necessity; need; requirement
deep knowledge; attainments; scholarship
deep (hole, forest, snow, etc.); dense (e.g. fog); thick (e.g. weeds, woods); close (e.g. relationship); deep (involvement); intense (e.g. longing, flavor); severe
reinforcement; augmentation; strengthening; increase; buildup
by virtue of one's office; in the nature of one's duties
(unlikely event of) emergency; the worst(-case scenario); (lit.) 10000 to 1; (if) by some chance; by some possibility; in the unlikely event that
to be tired of; to be sick of; to get fed up with
background; scenery; background (of an incident, situation, etc.); circumstances; backing; support (from behind the scenes)
to chip (off); to shave off; to sharpen; to dampen (one's enthusiasm, interest, etc.); to reduce
to lose (something); to get rid of; to eliminate; to remove
anticipation; expectation; plan; preparation
to mediate; to intervene; to smooth
fate; chance; relationship; tie
guess; conjecture; surmise
to serve as a reference; to provide useful information; to be helpful; to be informative; to be instructive
no; you're welcome; not at all; don't mention it
to the end; to the bitter end; to the last; after all; it must be remembered; only
direct control; direct supervision