bizarre plan; perplexing strategy; outlandish scheme
sacrifice; victim; sacrifice (to a deity)
readiness; preparedness; resolution; resignation
to decide; to choose; to clinch (a victory); to decide (the outcome of a match); to persist in doing; to go through with; to always do
to prepare oneself (for the worst); to resolve oneself
hm; um; huh?; what?; nuh-uh; no
to cut down; to slay; to truncate; to round down; to omit; to discard
to kill (a human) using a blade (sword, machete, knife, etc.); to slice (off); to lop (off); to cut (off)
certainly; surely; undoubtedly; just; precisely; exactly
Japanese sword (usu. single-edged and curved); Japanese bladed weapon
reappearance; reemergence; return; reproduction; reenactment; recreation
reliable; trustworthy; hopeful; promising
worry; concern; anxiety; care; help; aid
brutal (atmosphere, society, etc.); savage; fierce; violent; bloodthirsty; stark
to become; to appear like; to have a touch of; to look like
rustic simplicity; homeliness; unsophisticated; naive; honest; simple
to be raised (e.g. child); to be brought up; to grow (up)
to memorize; to memorise; to learn; to pick up; to feel; to think
under (guidance, supervision, rules, the law, etc.); under (a flag, the sun, etc.); beneath; with (e.g. one blow); on (the promise, condition, assumption, etc. that ...); (somebody's) side
battle; fight; war; struggle; conflict
touchstone; Lydian stone; touchstone (e.g. of success); test; litmus test
examination; exam; test; trial; experiment; test
no objection; nothing to criticize (criticise)
success; passing (e.g. exam); eligibility
human kindness; human weakness
to chip; to be chipped; to be missing (from a set, team, etc.); to be absent; to be lacking (in); to be short (of)
the more ... the more ...; as; (arch.) while; (arch.) during; (arch.) because; (arch.) since
to lose one's way; to get lost; to waver; to hesitate; to give into temptation; to lose control of oneself
coolness; calmness; composure; all right; fine; OK
humming a tune; humming unconcernedly
such; like that; that sort of; very
to be broken; to break; to fall through; to come to nothing
habit (often a bad habit, i.e. vice); tendency; peculiarity; idiosyncrasy; crease; wrinkle
for example; for instance; e.g.
suddenly; casually; accidentally; incidentally; unexpectedly; unintentionally
(in) the middle of; (in) the midst of; (in) the course of; (at) the height of
a person without a single relative
body; oneself; one's place; one's position; main part; meat (as opposed to bone, skin, etc.)