quid-pro-quo : Service in exchange of service
tough as nail : Very tough
laser focus: Extreme focus
decorated officer : any govt officer in higher post
talk one’s way out of (something) : to avoid something unpleasant or undesirable by saying things to make other people forgive or excuse. e.g He talked his way out of staying back after the party to do the cleanup work.
sank deep in his chair after he lost the negotiation deal.
Insinuate : (v) suggest or hint something bad in an indirect & unpleasant fashion. e.g he was insinuating that I had no control.
fraught – causing or characterised by emotional distress or tension. e.g fraught relationship. Environment in the office is rather fraught. synonyms: anxious or worried
botched : (adj) of a task carried out badly or carelessly, unsuccessful because of being poorly done e.g A botched attempt to steal a car. A botched medical procedure.
nuclear option: extreme choice when reacting to a particular situation. They consider to take the nuclear option and close the university.
size someone up: to examine something or someone carefully and decide what you think about it/him/her. e.g voters are still sizing up the candidates. Two cats walked in circle around each other sizing each other up.
split the difference : if you split the difference with someone, you agree on an amount or price which is halfway b/w two suggested amount or price, to accept only part of what you originally wanted when making the agreement with someone esp agreement involve money. synonym: bargaining e.g you want 50K for the bike and I think it worth 30K. Let split the difference and I will pay you 40K.