difficult to ...; hard to ...
left and right; right and left; (asserting) control; influence; one's attendants; people accompanying one
very fast; in a twinkle; before one's eyes
small amount; jot; nothing much; (to a) slight degree; wee bit
to destroy; to demolish; to disturb; to put into disorder; to relax (one's pose); to make oneself at ease; to break (a bill)
advice; counsel; suggestion; tip; hint
to be effective; to take effect; to work; to function well; to be possible (to do, use, etc.); to be able to
bone; frame; outline; core; backbone; spirit
to hit; to expose; to apply (e.g. patch); to put on; to allot; to call on someone (e.g. in class); to guess (an answer)
straight (ahead); direct; upright; straightforward; honest; frank
protection; defense; providence; amulet; charm
to fall on one's backside
front; frontage; facade; main
upper tier; upper section; place of honor; place of honour; dais; raised part of floor
tune; tone; vein; mood; condition; state of health
to withdraw from (a deal); to wash one's hands of; to lead by the hand
to hurt; to ache; to feel a pain; to be injured; to be spoiled (e.g. food); to be damaged
to remind (someone of something); to call attention to; to make sure of; to emphasize; to emphasise
completely beating somebody up; being completely knocked down; thoroughly bashing somebody
deterioration; degradation; drop in quality; becoming unattractive (because of aging)
worn-out; ragged; crumbling; dry and crumbly; falling (in drops or clumps); scattering
to bewilder; to perplex; to puzzle; to tempt; to seduce
to sharpen; to grind; to whet; to hone; to make keen
both hands; both arms; ten
to relax; to release tension from one's muscles; to let go limp
no matter what it takes; by any means necessary; at all costs; by hook or by crook
to cry; to weep; to sob; to howl
to reach; to touch; to be delivered; to arrive; to be attentive; to be scrupulous
to ascertain; to make sure of; to determine; to probe; to get to the bottom (of something)
theory; reason; logic; (unreasonable) argument; strained logic; excuse
only natural; no wonder; as expected; of course; as it should be
pace; tempo; slow and fast; in case of emergency
to bite; to chew; to gnaw; to fumble one's words (esp. during a play, broadcast, etc.); to falter with one's words; to crash against (e.g. of waves); to break onto (shore)
to break down; to collapse; to fall apart
thin veneer; hasty preparation; knowledge or skill learned as a stopgap; re-tempering a dull sword (so that it looks as if it's sharp, but is actually unusable)
to become better; to improve
to be too busy; to be occupied; to concentrate on single-mindedly
pouring one's energy into; focusing one's efforts on; concentrating on; committing oneself to
a matter of course; what is to be expected; par for the course
to work (for); to be employed (at); to serve (as); to act (as); to conduct a religious service