incomplete combustion; imperfect combustion; being off one's game; not doing one's best; being unable to use all of one's strength
stirring; rousing oneself
to wager; to bet; to risk; to stake; to gamble
as much as one can; as much as possible; if at all possible
to persevere; to persist; to insist that; to stick to (one's opinion); to remain in a place; to stick to one's post
to lose (something); to mislay; to get rid of; to eliminate; to remove
cram-free education; pressure-free education
numerical value; numerics; reading (on a meter, etc.)
to measure; to weigh; to survey; to conjecture; to infer; to surmise
scholarly ability; scholarship; knowledge; literary ability
a cut above; one step above
to smash; to crush; to shut down; to put out of business; to wreck; to break; to butcher
victory or defeat; victory and defeat
vague; ambiguous; shady; disreputable; fuzzy
slightly; lightly; thinly; faintly; dimly
pressure; oppression; suppression
to torment; to torture; to harass
second-year student; biennial
club activities; group activities
lesson; class work; teaching; instruction
to play (games, sports); to enjoy oneself; to mess about (with alcohol, gambling, philandery, etc.); to be idle; to do nothing; to meet up (with friends); to hang out
to be able to manage somehow or another
route; course; path; one's future course (e.g. after graduating high school)
job hunting; job searching
teacher; instructor; teaching staff; faculty member
barrier; obstacle; difficulty; hurdle; deadlock
teacher employment examination
towards (a destination); for the purpose of; with the goal of; targeting (a group, a demographic)
right away; without delay; as soon as possible; very soon
no matter how much time passes
dimly; faintly; absentmindedly; vacantly; idly; aimlessly
vague; obscure; indistinct; hazy; ambiguous
to ascertain; to make sure of; to determine; to probe; to get to the bottom (of something)
to be raised (e.g. child); to be brought up; to grow (up)
to hurry (up); to urge on; to press; to rush
(something) has never occurred; to have never done (something); such a thing has not happened; never happens; there is never a time when
standing facing each other (e.g. mountains, buildings); standing opposite each other; confrontation; squaring off against (adversaries, armies, forces); standing off against
to lend an ear; to hearken; to give an ear to; to listen carefully
to fail to hear something; to miss; to act as if one didn't hear something; to let a remark slide