major; lieutenant commander; wing commander
severe; strict; hard (to do); difficult; intense (e.g. cold); harsh (weather)
foster father; adoptive father
detestable; abhorrent; loathsome
foster mother; adoptive mother
to become better; to improve
once; before; formerly; never yet; never before; first time
period; epoch; the times; those days; oldness; ancientness
under (guidance, supervision, rules, the law, etc.); under (a flag, the sun, etc.); beneath; with (e.g. one blow); on (the promise, condition, assumption, etc. that ...); (somebody's) side
finally; at last; in the end; after all; never (happened)
total darkness; pitch dark; bleak future; poor prospects
to surround; to crowd around
to suck up; to absorb; to squeeze (money)
to disappear; to vanish into thin air
sudden; abrupt; unexpected; unforeseen
family; members of a family
to wrap up; to pack; to cover; to envelop; to conceal (a feeling); to hide
was it?; I think it was ...; if I've got it right; (I, we) used to ...; I remember ...; it was ...
dear (old); fondly-remembered; beloved; missed; nostalgic
lovely; dear; beloved; pitiable; pitiful
given that ... it is only natural that ...; ... being the case, it is unavoidable that ...; (precisely) because ...; contrary to expectations ...
together with; as X, then Y (e.g. as we age we gain wisdom, as wine matures it becomes more valuable, etc.)
just one person; only one
to be stricken (e.g. with grief); to be battered (e.g. by disasters)
for; for the sake of; to one's advantage; because of; as a result of
circumference; girth; surroundings; neighbourhood; people surrounding oneself; surrounding circumstances
to build (a nest); to nest; to haunt (a place); to hang out (somewhere)
wherein; therein; thereinto
to begin to run; to start running; to break into a run
to run; to run (of a vehicle); to drive; to rush (to); to dash; to retreat; to flee
to shorten; to narrow; to close; to shrink
drumming (noise); beating; rapidly; quickly; continuously; one after the other
far away; distant place; long ago; far back; by far
to be separated; to be apart; to leave; to go away; to leave (a job, etc.); to quit
to put; to place; to leave (behind); to establish (an organization, a facility, a position, etc.); to set up; to appoint (someone to a certain position); to hire
to meet; to encounter; to see; to have an accident; to have a bad experience
nail (e.g. fingernail, toenail); claw; plectrum; pick; hook; clasp
to bite into (e.g. rope into skin); to cut into; to eat into; to encroach; to be wedged (i.e. underwear pulled from the back, driving it between the buttocks)
huh?; eh?; what?; oh; hey!; look!
to stab; to thrust (into); to plant (in the ground); to stick upright
actually; really; truly; in practice; practically
even; if only; if just; as long as; the only thing needed
to contemplate; to ponder; to think long about; to turn over in one's mind