laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
a matter of course; what is to be expected; par for the course
single word; a few words; brief comment
to hold one's tongue; to shut up
really; very; extremely; (not) anything; (not) at all; (not) a bit
very; greatly; much; just about to; almost; very nearly
tall figure; high stature
splendid; nice; sufficient; satisfactory; not needing (any more of something); (already) having enough
difference; variation; difference
if anything; if pushed I'd say; if I had to say
man; male; masculine gender
dainty; delicate; slender; fragile (e.g. furniture); delicate; frail
type; style; mold; mould; kata (set sequence of positions and movements in martial arts); style (in kabuki, noh, etc.); convention
to bend; to crook; to lean; to tilt; to bend (the truth); to distort
to deceive; to cheat; to falsify; to misrepresent; to evade (a question, taxes, etc.); to dodge
to drop; to lose; to clean off (dirt, makeup, paint, etc.); to remove (e.g. stains or facial hair); to lose (a match); to reject (an applicant); to lower (e.g. shoulders or voice)
restless; fidgety; in a hurry
to fall; to drop; to set (of the sun or moon); to sink; to decrease (of popularity, quality, speed, sales, etc.); to fall; to be inferior (to)
(not) well; (not) properly; (not) enough; (not) sufficiently; (not) satisfactorily; (not) decently
expressly; especially; specially; intentionally; deliberately; on purpose
smooth; undisturbed; uninterrupted; harmonious
place; position; location; position; standing; status
with a splash; with a plop
drop (e.g. of water); drip
to wet; to moisten; to dampen; to soak; to dip
dangerous; in danger; facing imminent danger; precarious (situation); perilous (state, balance, etc.); in doubt
staring (e.g. eyes); goggling; glaring
all; whole; entire; complete (set); in total
exemplar; model; example; pattern
interest (in something); curiosity (about something); zest (for)
to make use of aizuchi; to back-channel; to throw in interjections to show that one is paying attention
abandonment; renouncement; renunciation; resignation; abdication; surrender
crisp (not moist or juicy); crunchy; crunching sound (of walking on snow, frost, sand, etc.); doing skillfully and efficiently; doing quickly; (arch.) sound of pouring liquid
to gnaw; to nibble; to bite; to dabble in; to know a little bit about; to learn a little of
to think about; to send one's heart out to; to give more than a passing thought to; to think of something far away; to think nostalgically upon (esp. one's hometown)
suddenly; casually; accidentally; incidentally; unexpectedly; unintentionally