nothing but; except; no more than
incompetent; have no merit
distinctive of; characteristic of; uniquely applying to; but; except; without
thorn; spine; splinter (esp. lodged in one's flesh); hard sharp item (esp. lodged in one's throat, e.g. fish bone); biting words
to strain (e.g. one's nerves); to be on edge; to be tense (of an atmosphere); to cover completely (e.g. with tiles, ice, etc.); to spread over; to become covered (in)
taking an examination (esp. for entrance to a school or university)
directions; instructions; orders; command
to come down in the world; to fall low; to be ruined; to be reduced to poverty; to fall on hard times
manner of speaking; verbal argument; objection; protesting a decision (esp. that of a sumo referee); rumor; rumour
since some time ago; for some time; for quite a while
isn't it?; let's ...; why don't we ...; how about we ...
unsuitable; inappropriate; improper
emotion; feeling; feelings; sentiment
staring (e.g. eyes); goggling; glaring
sound; noise; (musical) note; fame
to glare at; to scowl at; to stare intensely at; to examine carefully; to estimate; to guess
possibly; apparently; (seem) likely; somehow or other; with difficulty; barely
to throw; to fling; to hurl; to neglect; to abandon; to leave alone
as one would expect from ...; given that ... (naturally ...); precisely because ...; all the more because of ...; on account of ...; ... being what it is
to turn (towards); to face; to head to; to go towards; to allot; to allocate
having no idea; having no clue
strange; odd; peculiar; weird; bizarre; unusual
to kill with a sword (knife, dagger, etc.); to slay; to put to the sword
episode; anecdote; vignette; episode
conviction; belief; confidence
(not) even once; (not) ever
anxiety; uneasiness; worry; apprehension; fear; insecurity
wiping out; sweeping away; eradicating; dispelling
to hate; to dislike; to avoid; to disregard; to act without regard (for); to be bad for (e.g. dust in machinery)
unpleasant; awkward; embarrassing; uneasy
as (it is); remaining (in a state); with (e.g. one's eyes closed, the light on); while (e.g. standing, alive); as (one pleases, one is told, etc.); according to
in accordance with; following; roughly; about; Street; Avenue
habit (usu. a bad one); tendency; peculiarity; idiosyncrasy; crease; wrinkle
irritation; annoyance; frustration
there; over there; genitals; private parts; that far; that much
plain; frank; candid; open; direct; straightforward
hostility; animosity; enmity
back and front; inside and outside; inside out (e.g. clothing); double-dealing; two faces (cf. two-faced); outward appearance and actual condition
above anything else; above all; more than anything; best; greatest; excellent
gradually; by degrees; little by little; step by step
to lose focus; to let one's mind wander; to relax one's attention
to persevere; to persist; to insist that; to stick to (one's opinion); to remain in a place; to stick to one's post
mediocre; ordinary; commonplace; banal
easy; simple; there's no way that ...