personal history; background; career
in fact; as a matter of fact; actually; in reality; to tell the truth
Alice in Wonderland (novel by Lewis Carroll); Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
fried prawns; fried shrimp
to bear; to stand; to support; to withstand; to be fit for; to be equal to
single-minded; intent; determined; wholehearted; earnest; devoted (to)
story; tale; narrative; account; fable; legend
leaving school (at the end of the day); getting out of school; coming home from school
work clothes; workwear; boilersuit; overalls
summer vacation; summer holiday
under the blazing sun; in sweltering heat
school route; street used by students going to and from school (esp. on foot)
heat shimmer; heat haze; shimmering of hot air
point of view; viewpoint; angle; visual point (position of the eye in calculations of optical instruments)
seeming dangerous; risky; unsafe; chancy; unsteady; clumsy
row; line; group (of peers); ranks (of); sequence; series (taxonomic rank)
head (of a line, group, etc.); front; lead; forefront; vanguard
student in a higher grade; upperclassman
skillful; skilful; delicious; tasty; good (deal, idea, etc.); profitable
staring (e.g. eyes); goggling; glaring
ruby; ruby character; small hiragana or katakana readings of kanji usually above or to the side of the kanji (esp. used by printers and in ref. to printed material); Ruby (programming language)
lower grades of primary school (first, second, and sometimes third grades)
to stare back (at); to glare back
to bite at; to snap at; to jump at (e.g. an offer); to snap at; to hold on to; to cling to
length of a blade; walking barefoot on the edge of a sword blade (acrobatic stunt)
pluralizing suffix (esp. for people and animals; formerly honorific)
housewife; mistress (of the house); homemaker
to run up to; to rush over
taking refuge; finding shelter; evacuation; escape; seeking safe haven
to enclose; to surround; to shelter (e.g. a criminal); to shield; to keep (e.g. a mistress); to store (vegetables, fruit, etc.)
citizen (of a country); citizenry; citizen (of a city); resident; bourgeoisie; middle class
assassin's dagger; assassin's blade; deadly weapon
to raise (esp. overhead); to brandish (e.g. sword); to flourish; to wield (e.g. power, authority); to proclaim one's principles
to swallow; to gulp down; to understand; to grasp; to engulf; to swallow up
to keep standing; to stand motionless
very young; little; childish; immature
to avert one's eyes; to avoid looking straight at something; to cover one's eyes