examination war; fiercely competitive university entrance examinations
beginning; start; first (in line, etc.); origin; such as ...; not to mention ...
military personnel; soldier
nail; spike; tack; rivet; brad; (pachinko) pin
grain thief; sharpened tube for testing rice in bags; sashimi (sliced raw fish); stabbing; piercing
gift; boon; (good) result; fruit (e.g. of one's efforts)
sensible; perceptive; quick to understand; understanding; sympathetic
to have no way of knowing; to be completely ignorant of
writing; entry (e.g. to a form); posting (e.g. to a blog)
term-end exam; end-of-term test; finals
midterm (mid-semester) test or exam
excelling; surpassing; outdoing
to snatch (and run); to carry off; to swipe; to scoop up (and remove; sand, earth, etc.)
to bite into (e.g. rope into skin); to cut into; to eat into; to encroach; to be wedged (i.e. underwear pulled from the back, driving it between the buttocks)
judgement; judgment; decision; adjudication; award; verdict
growth; development; stretching (one's body, e.g. when waking up); (ability to) spread (of paint, cream, etc.); elongation; extension
remarkable; striking; brilliant; splendid; spectacular; wonderful
it is no exaggeration to say; it is not too much to say
person in charge (of an area of work); person responsible; contact (person)
first place; first rank; unit's position; Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata)
magician; wizard; sorcerer; witch
incomparable; cannot compare (with); beyond comparison; in another league
humanities, social sciences, and fine arts; liberal arts
quite; utterly; (not) at all; completely; wholly; entirely
communication skills; communication ability
joint; knuckle; tune; melody; knot (in wood); node in a bamboo stem
imperfect; incomplete; faulty; defective
bet; wager; stake; gamble
to carry to extremes; to go to the end of something; to investigate thoroughly; to master
with ... as a start; taking advantage of; inspired by
tsk tsk; oh-oh; huh; what's that?
joy; enjoyment; delight; pleasure
to be haggard; to be gaunt; to be emaciated; to be worn out (e.g. illness, worry)
desperation; despair; self-abandonment
for some reason or other; somehow; whatsitsname; what-you-call-it; and so on; and you know the rest
certification; attestation; authentication; Imperial attestation
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
interval; distance; suitable time; appropriate opportunity; distance between opponents (kendo)
to stuff into; to jam; to shorten; to move closer together; to reduce (spending); to conserve; to focus intently on