octagon; star anise (Illicium verum); sailfin poacher (Podothecus sachi)
hit; success; guess; prediction; affability; friendliness; sensation
in short; the point is; the important thing is; in a word; basically
to study (in depth); to learn; to take lessons in
to be useful; to be helpful; to serve the purpose
XO sauce (spicy seafood sauce used primarily in Cantonese cooking)
sauce; Worcestershire sauce
to wrap up; to pack; to cover; to envelop; to conceal (a feeling); to hide
to burn; to roast; to grill; to bake
yikes!; eek!; ook; eek; customer
sudden; abrupt; urgent; pressing; steep; sharp; rapid
to clasp; to grasp; to hold (the answer); to have (e.g. the solution); to seize (power); to hold (the reins)
direct; immediate; personal; firsthand
full of (e.g. mistakes); riddled with; covered all over with (blood, mud, etc.)
name; given name; first name
preparation; arrangements; provision; getting ready; laying out (e.g. a meal)
to come; to go; to be (somewhere); to be (doing)
reservation system; appointment system; (on) a subscription basis
taking part on the spur of the moment; participating without registering beforehand; last-minute entrant; specking on flower petals
declining; refusal; rejection; announcement; notice
otherwise; or else; if not
certain; sure; doubtless; I have no doubt; You can depend on it; It's a safe bet
be supposed or expected to (do); be sure to (do); ought to (do)
everything; all; the whole; entirely; completely; wholly
like; similar to; as with; in the same way
contest; comparison; competition
it does not mean that ...; I don't mean that ...; it is not the case that...
one mind; wholeheartedness; one's whole heart
investigation (e.g. into someone's guilt); questioning; pressing; catching up; overtaking
crowd of people; great number of people; in great numbers
to mind (negative nuance); to care about; to worry; to pay undue (amount of) attention to (something)
to cry; to weep; to sob; to howl
to start; to begin; to start up (a business, society, etc.); to open (e.g. a store); to start ...; to begin to ...
strategy meeting; council of war
at any rate; anyhow; anyway; in any case; because
to get back; to regain; to recover; to make up (for); to catch up on
cooler box; cooler; cool box
sound; noise; note; fame; Chinese-derived character reading