axis; shaft; center; centre; stalk; stem
closing in on (the enemy, first place, etc.); coming close to; pressing hard; pressing hard (e.g. with a question); taking to task; grilling
nimble; agile; quick; quick (thinking); smart; alert
right in front; just opposite; under the nose
to have the personal support of (an influential person); to be under the patronage of
rolling over; turning over; turning around (the other way); reversal (of direction, course, etc.); producing a positive from a negative (photography); producing a negative from a positive
piece placed to block opponent's check; interposed piece
tail (animal, kite, comet, etc.); tail end; slope at the foot of a mountain
focus (e.g. photographic); focal point
unique; peculiar; singular
pressure; oppression; suppression
thrust; stab; tsuki; thrust to the throat (in kendo); tsuki; thrust to the chest
to reject; to repulse; to repel; to bounce back; to counterattack; to strike back
martial arts which involve fighting without weapons; combat sport; one-on-one fighting sport
to form a partnership or association; to join together; to grapple with
suitable; proper; appropriate; perfunctory; half-minded; sloppy
exemplar; model; example; pattern
dramatic (improvement); remarkable (difference); marked; (far) better; exceptional
big man; large man; tall man; giant
to sink (e.g. a ship); to submerge; to lower (e.g. one's body into a chair); to floor (an opponent)
to whip; to lash; to give the rod; to spur on; to encourage
to fire from a job; to dismiss; to discharge; to behead
to send (someone) back; to send (someone) home
dying; death; dead; useless; damned
query; interrogation; enquiry; question; inquiry
to take care of some business; to go on an errand; to relieve oneself; to do one's business; to go to the toilet
while alive; during one's lifetime
grip; having all the cards needed to form a scoring combination in one's hand
begging for one's life; pleading for one's life
stout-hearted; firm; courageous; brave; tough
to return to normal; to revert to the starting point; to go back to how it was
to return; to come home; to leave; to get home; to get to home plate
another meeting; meeting again; reunion
throughout; over a period of ...; over a span of ...
serious; honest; sober; grave; earnest; steady
hanky-panky; juggling; cheating; deception; smoke and mirrors
suddenly; abruptly; unexpectedly
showing one's face in public; facing another person
princess; daughter of a nobleman