smiling; beaming; radiant; bright; cheerful
top brass; upper echelon; higher-ups; top management; upper reaches; top of the pile
(not) anything; (nothing) at all; and everything else; and all; (not) at all; (not) in the least
(hand) gesture; movement of the hand
to mix; to combine; to exchange (words, fire, etc.); to cross (e.g. swords); to join together
to be late; to be delayed; to fall behind (in a race, one's studies, etc.); to lag behind; to be bereaved of; to be preceded by (someone) in death
to steel oneself to; to brace oneself
to enclose (with); to surround (with); to turn (one's head, heel, etc.); to think over; to work out; (arch.) to notify (orally or in writing)
drop-by-drop; dripping; dribbling; loosely (hanging); limply
at once; immediately; right now
to enquire of someone about something (inquire); to question; to interrogate; to grill (someone about a matter); to question in detail
mind; heart; spirit; the meaning of a phrase (riddle, etc.)
to erase; to delete; to turn off (power); to switch off; to extinguish; to put out
to lend an ear; to hearken; to give an ear to; to listen carefully
to be noisy; to be astir; to rustle; to murmur
now that you mention it; come to think of it; that reminds me; on that subject; speaking of which
to collect; to assemble; to gather
meaningful; suggestive; telling; significant; pregnant (pause etc.)
to demarcate; to delimit; to divide (an area); to punctuate; to put an end to (e.g. a sentence); to insert pauses or breaks (e.g. when reading aloud)
to leak out; to escape; to find expression; to give vent; to leak out; to be divulged
to put on airs; to assume importance
(animal) feed; fodder; pet food; bait; lure; enticement
to listen carefully; to strain one's ears
hold; catch; connection; relationship; unease; discomfort
tacit understanding; unspoken agreement
monitoring; watching; observation; surveillance; guarding; supervision
to hold (in one's hand); to take (into one's hand); to own; to obtain
to sew; to stitch; to weave one's way (e.g. through a crowd)
stay calm; don't be rushed; don't be flustered
to be shut; to close; to be firm (of a body, face, etc.); to be well-knit; to be locked; to tighten
first of all; to begin with; probably; most likely; more or less (satisfactory); on the whole
waiting on a table; serving (at dinner); waiter; waitress; office boy; office girl
staff; stuff; stuffing; filling
busy; occupied; hectic; restless; hurried; fidgety
notice; attention; observation
does not seem; unlikely; improbable