Containing Two Pairs of Antonyms

lit. to appear and disappear unpredictably like a spirit or a ghost (idiom)/fig. elusive

up here, down there (idiom); to rise and fall in succession/no sooner one subsides, the next arises/repeating continuously/occurring again and again (of applause, fires, waves, protests, conflicts, uprisings etc)

to love ease and comfort and hate work (idiom)

lit. has a name but no reality (idiom); exists only in name/nominal

lit. to like the new, and hate the old (idiom); fig. enamored with new people (e.g. new girlfriend), bored with the old

lit. you die, I live (idiom); irreconcilable adversaries/two parties cannot coexist

since ancient times/since times immemorial

lit. everything bodes ill, no positive signs (idiom)/fig. inauspicious; everything points to disaster

virtually the same/differing only on small points

matter of life and death

joys and sorrows/partings and reunions/the vicissitudes of life

slight or important, urgent or non-urgent (idiom); to deal with important matters first/sense of priority

lit. right and wrong, crooked and straight (idiom); fig. merits and demerits/pros and cons

to favour one and discriminate against the other

to explain a complicated subject matter in simple terms (idiom)/(of language) simple and easy to understand

to hover between life and death (idiom)/to suffer terribly/within an inch of one's life

to start but not finish (idiom); to fail to carry things through/lack of sticking power/short attention span

to hide the head and show the tail (idiom); to give a partial account/half-truths

cause and effects (idiom); entire process of development

(idiom) stay clear of the enemy's main force and strike at his weak points

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to support the weak and restrain the strong (idiom); robbing the rich to help the poor

to avoid the important and dwell on the trivial/to keep silent about major charges while admitting minor ones