even at the best of times; already; (even) under normal circumstances; in addition to; as it is
sultry; sweltering; stuffy; uncomfortably hot-looking (clothing, etc.); stuffy-looking
omurice; fried rice wrapped in or topped with omelette
to stab; to thrust (into); to plant (in the ground); to stick upright
in succession; one by one
to put into the mouth; to eat
last scene (e.g. of a movie); closing scene
to shave (wood, leather, etc.); to sharpen (e.g. pencil); to cut down (budget, expenses, staff, time, etc.); to curtail; to delete; to erase
irritation; annoyance; frustration
to be crowded; to be packed; to be complex; to go into; to put into; to do intently
to shut oneself in (e.g. one's room); to be confined in; to be filled with (emotion, enthusiasm, etc.); to fill the room (of a gas, smell, etc.); to be heavy with (e.g. smoke); to be muffled (e.g. voice); to hold (a castle, fortress, etc.)
breath; breathing; tone; mood
in one go; in one gulp; in one breath; immediately; instantly; right away
speaking of ...; when it comes to ...; as for ...; if one were to say ...
bitter smile; wry smile; strained laugh; sarcastic laugh
to watch over; to watch attentively
so-so; passable; now, now; my, my
to hate; to dislike; to loathe
(confronting a problem, etc.) head-on; directly; outright; (lit.) from the front
latter period; second half; late stage; third trimester; second semester
work; operation; manufacturing; fatigue duty
to advance; to go forward; to precede; to go ahead (of); to make progress; to improve; to deepen
today; this day; these days; recently; nowadays
splendid; nice; sufficient; fine (in the sense of "I'm fine"); well enough; OK
(cutting) with a single stroke; lopping off (branches, etc.); (cutting hair) short; drastically (slash a budget, etc.); resolutely; ruthlessly (discard, etc.)
very; greatly; immense; enormous; serious; grave
to be angry; to resent; to be enraged; to be indignant
calm; composed; cool; quiet
impressions; thoughts; feelings; reactions
light (i.e. not heavy); feeling light (i.e. offering little resistance, moving easily); light (i.e. of foot); effortless; non-serious; minor; slight
clicking one's tongue; tut-tut; smacking one's lips (with relish)
to turn (one's face) away; to avert (one's eyes)
dull; uninteresting; insignificant; unimportant; absurd; foolish
to get irritated; to get annoyed; to be on the edge; to fret; to lose patience
to remove; to eliminate; to eradicate; to exclude; to except
to be wounded; to get injured; to get hurt feelings; to get damaged; to get chipped
everyone; everybody; all; everything; all
cooked rice; meal; food; one's living; livelihood
to invite; to ask (someone to do); to tempt; to lure; to induce (tears, laughter, sleepiness, etc.); to arouse (e.g. sympathy)