poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at); not one's cup of tea; not one's favorite
rather than; more ... than ...
talkative; loose-lipped; persiflage; witty remark; light joke; amusing talk
relationship; relation; terms (good, friendly, etc.)
tightly; closely; exactly; precisely; suddenly (stopping); perfectly (suited)
shield; buckler; escutcheon; pretext; excuse; grounds (for)
practitioner; specialist; man (esp. one who is well-respected); samurai
futility; waste; uselessness; pointlessness; idleness
camouflage; disguise; pretense; feigning; masquerade
nonsense; irresponsible remark; codswallop; random; haphazard; unsystematic
indication; expression; display; displaying; representation; (copyright) attribution
novice; beginner; starting to run; running off; running away
only the results matter; it's all about the results
to distinguish; to recognize; to recognise; to tell apart; to differentiate
to rely on; to depend on; to count on; to turn to (for help)
fault; error; going poorly; being disadvantageous; un-; non-
hour; o'clock; (specified) time; when ...; during ...
true; real; genuine; proper; utter
severe; harsh; stringent; rigorous; strict; unfair
to make fun of; to look down on; to make light of
(something) has never occurred; to have never done (something); such a thing has not happened; never happens; there is never a time when
relaxation (e.g. of muscles); becoming flaccid
junior (at work, school, etc.); younger people; younger student
(preliminary) meeting; face-to-face introduction; costarring; appearing together; match-up; pairing
place; spot; field; discipline; occasion; situation; scene (of a play, movie, etc.)
to perform; to do; to conduct oneself; to carry out
to listen repeatedly; to listen again; to ask a question in return; to ask again; to ask for a repeated explanation
useless; futile; unnecessary; needless; not on business; unrelated
to get carried away; to get overly elated; to become over-excited; to get up to speed; to move into gear
to rake over the coals; to scold; to chastise; to burn moxa on the skin
meaning; significance; sense
to catch; to capture; to grasp (e.g. meaning); to perceive; to captivate; to move (one's heart)
nasty; mean; heartless; inconsiderate; selfish
on purpose; deliberately; intentionally
to choose one's words (with care); to be careful with one's words
to make a display of; to show off; to flaunt
pride; dignity; self-worth
to break into fragments; to go to pieces
young; youthful; immature; green; low (number); small