country in civil war; country disarrayed by war; Warring States period (Japan, China); competiton in which there are several evenly-matched participants; hotly-contested game (match, market, etc.)
hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
(positive sentence end) I dare say; (negative sentence end) though, honestly
to hold fast; to protect to the end
grey moustache; white beard
strangely; oddly; miraculously; mysteriously
all-terrain vehicle; quad bike; dune buggy; beach buggy; buggy; stroller
wheat straw; barley straw
electric vehicle; EV; elevator; enterprise value; EV; embedded value
just then; at that time; right then; appropriate moment
Japanese flying squirrel (Pteromys momonga); small Japanese flying squirrel; Japanese dwarf flying squirrel
helmet (of a warrior); headpiece
perfect; complete; flawless
International System of Units; SI
to compete ruthlessly; (lit.) to sharpen swords
hiss (esp. cat); sizzle; whoosh
shah; former ruler of Iran
to be mad about; to be hooked on
thoughtless; inconsiderate; tasteless; cruel
to sniff out; to get wind of
praying mantis (esp. the narrow-winged mantis, Tenodera angustipennis)
office hours; business hours; working hours
Islamic State (of Iraq and the Levant); Daesh; IS; information separator; delimiter
rare (or peculiar) animal
goddamn idiot; moron; nitwit
light; lamp; counter for electric lights
(not) even once; (not) ever
serious matter; major incident; matter of grave concern; crisis
unique; matchless; unparalleled; unparallelled; never again