'A round dozen' = exactly twelve = a full dozen.

'Soft soap' = use flattery to get what you want.

'Complacent' = smugly uncritical and unaware of danger.

'Officious' = annoyingly eager to help; meddlesome.

'Supercilious' = arrogant. Opposite: 'Affable' = friendly and approachable.

Present perfect needs past participle. 'Lay (eggs)' past participle = 'laid'.

'Paint something + color' — no preposition needed.

Embedded question uses statement word order: Subject + Verb.

O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter.

'By' = means or agent. Villages lit 'by means of' electricity.

'Come off' = to take place as planned.

'Dog days' = the hottest most sultry period of summer.

Stagflation = high inflation + economic stagnation + high unemployment.

'Scuttle' figuratively = to deliberately abandon or cause a plan to fail.

'Stanch/staunch' = to stop the flow of something = put an end to.

'Belated' = coming later than expected. Synonym: 'Tardy'.

'Sequence' = things that follow in order = 'to follow'.

'Euphemism' = mild indirect word substituted for a harsh one.

'The Rainbow' (1915) is a famous novel by D. H. Lawrence.

'Tom Jones' published in 1749 — 1st half of the 18th century.