complete devotion (to); total commitment (to); unvarying support (for); unwavering fixation (on); rigid preoccupation (with)
falling far short (of); being far behind; being far inferior (to); being no match (for)
throat; singing voice; gutter (inner margins of a book)
just before; on the verge of; on the brink of; just in front of; just ahead of
halfway; half measures; unfinished; incomplete; by halves; half-baked
to erase; to drown out (e.g. a voice); to make disappear
crescent moon; young moon
evasion; avoidance; recusal (of a judge)
loss of fighting spirit; losing the will to fight
another person; other people; unrelated person (i.e. not related by blood); outsider; stranger
resistance (to heat, corrosion, etc.); tolerance (to a drug, pain, etc.); resistance (to drugs, pesticides, etc.)
disabling; invalidation; nullification; vitiation
when it comes to ...; where ... is concerned; if it's the case that ...; if it turns out that ...; if it's true that ...
increasingly; more and more; decreasingly; less and less
evacuation; withdrawal; revocation; repeal; retreat
yakitori; chicken pieces (or sometimes beef or pork offal) grilled on a skewer; grilled and skewered bird (esp. sparrow); failing to win a single hand during a half-game
dust; small debris (e.g. dirt, crumbs); trash; garbage; negligible amount; tiny bit
moderate; reserved; modest; temperate; restrained; low-key
accomplice; conspirator; cohort
to coo at; to behave like a spoiled child; to snort; to sniff
will (to do something); drive; motivation; enthusiasm; eagerness
directly opposite; right in front
to talk; to chat; to chatter
calm; peace; serenity; composure; equanimity; presence of mind
no sooner than; as soon as; immediately after; at the thought of; when I think about
to be effective; to be fruitful; to be worthwhile; to be worth; to be rewarded; to pay off
to listen carefully; to strain one's ears
source; origin; exit; way out; (appropriate) moment to come out; (right) time to appear
there is no need to ...; it should hardly be necessary to ...
common; ordinary; fair (e.g. fight); gracious; frank; open
equality; equal; same rights; same rank; equivalence
to be hesitant; to feel timid
to be disheartened; to lose heart; to be sprained; to be snapped; to be broken
as one would expect; just as you'd expect (from); just like (someone)
that's got nothing to do with me; that's none of my business; that doesn't involve me
companions; friends; comrades; mates; partners
having no choice; at a loss for what to do; at one's wits' end; helpless; powerless
how many times; how many degrees (temperature, angle, etc.)
wise; clever; smart; well-behaved (esp. children and pets); obedient; good
exceedingly; extremely; decisively
with no regard to appearances; without caring about how one looks
not to mention ...; needless to say ...; not to speak of ...; (arch.) negligent; (arch.) neglectful; (arch.) careless