to work hard at; to devote oneself to; to be diligent in
leader of the pack (of a group of kids); neighborhood bully (neighbourhood)
tortoise; turtle; heavy drinker; turtle crest; turtle mon
face; mug; surface; cheek meat; (arch.) cheek; (arch.) cheeks
rain; rainy day; rainy weather; the November suit (in hanafuda)
to fall (of rain, snow, ash, etc.); to come down; to form (of frost); to beam down (of sunlight or moonlight); to pour in; to visit (of luck, misfortune, etc.)
cold (e.g. weather); uninteresting (esp. joke); lame; dull
complete set (of volumes); every volume; whole volume; whole film; whole reel
complaint; grumbling; objection; phrase; words; expression
movie; film; motion picture
want to ... do something; would like to ...
to advance; to move forward; to carry forward (plans, work, etc.); to proceed with; to raise; to elevate
to cheer up; to be encouraged (by); to be in high spirits
to express in a refined fashion; to weave a web of words
second year of junior high school; second-year junior high school student; behaving in a way characteristic of teenagers going through puberty, esp. by being overly self-conscious; (lit.) 2nd year of junior high sickness
to keep company; to listen to; to associate with; to play against (e.g. a team); to take on (e.g. a rival)
prominent; eminent; leading; foremost; distinguished
school with a high proportion of graduates accepted into high-ranking universities; school focused on preparing students to get into high-ranking universities; school with a high proportion of graduates who go on to university or junior college
school grades; academic results
measure; step; countermeasure; counterplan; countermove; strategy
assessment; rating; grade; evaluation
to check through; to thoroughly investigate
to use as a pretext; to use as an excuse
to get in someone's pocket; to help oneself to someone's wallet; to curry favour (favor); to butter up; to get in close to one's opponent
victory stand; winners' podium
(real) ability; true strength; merit; arms; force
place where a meeting (conference, etc.) is held; venue
to stare fixedly at; to fix one's gaze on; to make sure of; to set one's eyes on (e.g. the future); to focus on
out-of-school; off-campus
mock exam; practice exam; practice test
average; mean; balance; equilibrium
three-legged race; cooperation with singleness of purpose (e.g. between companies); operating in tandem
effort; exertion; endeavour; endeavor; hard work; striving
casually; nonchalantly; easily; without difficulty; as if nothing had happened
within the jurisdiction (of); one's jurisdiction; in a pipe
to bend; to turn up; to turn down; to double
unmanageable child; spoiled child (spoilt); spoiled brat
scholar; academic; scientist; learned person; person of learning