great mistaken

make a pitch for somebody(speak for somebody)

have a big mouth(talk a great deal of nonsense)

multitude of enemies, few friends (idiom from Mencius); beaten by the weight of numbers; heavily outnumbered

have great originality

insignificant skill

arrogate all authority to oneself

one's own knack

find one's proper place(feel at home after proper arrangements are made)

talk a lot of nonsense

shifty-eyed(be on the dodge)

heartrending(soul-stirring)

decide alone and act at one's own will

touch the metal and turn it into gold

arrogate all powers to oneself(rule the roast)

farm by the slash-and-burn method(slash-and-burn cultivation)

cannot say bo to a goose

totter along

give sharp advice for one to wake up from error

regard as unimportant