a tearaway	an impetuous and irresponsible person
on tenterhooks	being nervous about what is going to happen
strikebound	unable to function because of a strike
to rebut	to prove sth wrong, to refute
roadworthy	suitable to be driven (of cars)
a troubleshooter	a person that solves problems is called this
resplendent	brilliant, splendid
to be noncommital ?	to keep silent and say nothing
to give sb the runaround	to treat sb in a deceitful, evasive manner (idiom)
to run on a shoestring budget	not to have much money to spare (idiom)
to stranglehold ?	to have firm control over sth (idiom)
thankless	not likely to bring any reward
tempestuous	stormy, turbulent, violently agitated
a turncoat	a traitor
peerless	superior to all others
?	ridiculous, unwise
preparedness	a state of being prepared
a scaremonger	a person who frightens people by spreading alarming news
a pitfall	a trap, a snare
piecemeal	piece by piece
potshot	a shot taken without certain aim
to pontificate	to speak as if you were the only one who has the right opinion
stewardship	management
tailback	accumulation of traffic
telltale	sb who reveals another's secret
restive	restless, uneasy
nonplussed	confused, puzzled
a namesake	a person with the same name
to offload sth onto sb	to get rid of sth unpleasant by passing it to sb else
nondescript	without distinctive characters
backlog	accumulation of sth not yet attended
unimpeachable	that cannot be questioned, honest
to gush	to flow out rapidly and in great quantities
to counter	to oppose
to rumble	to reveal
momentous	very serious, important
spry	lively and active
to be at pains to do sth	to make great effort to accomplish sth
unequivocal	clear, having one possible meaning
to acquit	to free sb of guilt at court
to spurn	to refuse with contempt
overtures of sth	friendly proposals/ approaches
lithe	bending easy, flexible, supple
to ground	to have basis in
punctilious	very attentive to details (of behaviour)
to scud away	to move straight, fast and smoothly
to be befuddled	to be confused, to be made look stupid
to swat	to hit with a flat object
to slide	to move smoothly over some surface
vapid	dull, uninteresting
to incur	to bring sth unpleasant upon oneself, to cause oneself to suffer
to brave sth	to endure sth, to survive
soppy	maudlin, foolishly sentimental
to throw caution to the wind	to stop being cautious (idiom)
a no-no	a suggestion/proposal that cannot be accepted
travail	painful effort
piddling	trivial, unimportant, small
defunct	no longer in use, no longer effective
to give sb the cold shoulder	to ignore, to shun sb (idiom)
to bite off more than one could chew	to try to do too much or sth that is too difficult
tooth and nail	fiercely (idiom)
to face the music	to face deserved punishment (idiom)
to put one's heart and soul into sth	to be devoted to sth (idiom)
to renounce	to give up/ to relinquish
a snare	a trap
to pester	to nag
a scam	dishonest scheme is called this
flabbergasted	greatly surprised
in clover	living a luxurious and comfortable life
unflappable	remaining calm in crisis
to be at variance with sb	to disagree (idiom)
watertight	impossible to disprove
a walkover	an easy victory
a walkabout	a stroll among a crowd
a watchword	a slogan or a catch-phrase
yardstick	a standard measurement
verbosity	an instance of using too many words
wherewithal	money/resources needed to do sth
unsightly	unpleasant to look at
weather-beaten	exposed to harsh weather conditions
yesteryear	in past years
upmarket	meant for the rich, the highest class of society
wisecracks	small, clever, unkind remarks
to undercut	to make prices lower than one's competitors