staunch; hardcore; dyed-in-the-wool; metal reinforcement
a lot; to a very great extent; absolutely
willpower; guts; determination; character; nature; disposition
to avoid meeting someone's gaze; to not look someone in the eyes
what; so-and-so; such and such; what?; wait; well, well
by any chance; (should) it happen (that); by some chance
in every nook and corner; from A to Z; from head to toe; from cover to cover
to make even; to make smooth; to make level; to average
to be at a complete loss; to be without recourse; to be completely stymied; to have absolutely no idea what to do
whispering into a person's ear
no sooner than; as soon as; immediately after; at the thought of; when I think about
all; entire; whole; altogether
ignoring; looking the other way; passing through; going through; ball hit through net (in tennis)
older sister; elder sister; young lady; miss; ma'am
quick; swift; nimble; quick (understanding, judgement, etc.); alert; prompt
to go round and cut in; to take a roundabout path
hard lump under the skin (e.g. adipous tumor, lymph node tumor, etc.); grinding against; pressing or rubbing with turning movements (e.g. someone's shoulders with one's elbow); rolling one's eyes; goggling one's eyes; rattling sound
to hold between (e.g. one's fingers, chopsticks); to grip (from both sides); to put between; to sandwich between; to catch (e.g. a finger in a door); to trap; to insert (e.g. a break into proceedings)
to push; to press; to apply pressure from above; to press down; to stamp (i.e. a passport); to apply a seal; to affix (e.g. gold leaf)
umeboshi; pickled dried ume; pickled dried plum
delicate technique (in sumo, judo, etc.); little trick; subtle maneuver
bamboo stick used to strike meditators into greater wakefulness (in Zen Buddhism); striking someone's wrist with one's index and middle finger
finger flick to the forehead
casual; unconcerned; nonchalant
to insert; to put in; to have a griping pain; to flow in; to shine in
coincident with; while; simultaneously
to be very far apart from; to be remote; to be quite different from
increasingly; more and more; decreasingly (when declining); less and less
(stare or glare with) scornful eyes; reproachful eyes; disgusted eyes
to tease; to make fun of; to poke fun at; to make a crack about; to chaff; to kid
habit (often a bad habit, i.e. vice); tendency; peculiarity; idiosyncrasy; crease; wrinkle
young lady (in ref. to a maid, etc.)
so; accordingly; now; then; thereupon; therefore
alternate; alternating; mutual; reciprocal
boss; leader; head; boss (difficult enemy, usu. at the end of a section or level)
to be careful; to pay attention; to take care
to read; to recite (e.g. a sutra); to chant; to predict; to guess; to decipher; to count
to be at wits' end; to be greatly perplexed; to be troubled