perplexity; difficult question; difficult problem
line (of text); row; carya (austerities); samskara (formations); semi-cursive style (of writing Chinese characters); running style
to scrape off; to shave off
endorsement (of a cheque, bill, etc.); verification of authenticity (written on the back of a scroll); certificate of authenticity; note written on the back of a scroll; comment; proof
skull (esp. weatherbeaten, used as symbol of death); death's head; cranium
just safe (e.g. just avoiding being late, failing an exam, etc.); only just OK; barely acceptable
to distort; to strain (an interpretation); to stretch (the meaning of a word)
surface; face; outside; exterior; appearances; superficiality
rational; logical; coherent
insertion; interposition; interpolation; infix
tanuki (Nyctereutes procyonoides); raccoon dog; sly dog; sly old fox; sly fox
illustration; picture; sketch; drawing; figure
to make an appearance; to show up
to disentangle; to untangle; to break up into pieces; to pick apart; to relieve; to ease
four characters; four letters
rabbitear iris (Iris laevigata)
start of a sentence, phrase, etc.
to fill in time; to stall (e.g. an audience)
flippant; saucy; know-all
instant; moment; (split) second; (in a) flash; (in the) blink of an eye
disappearance; vanishing; loss; dying away; wearing off
treasury; treasure house; storehouse; treasure trove; rich source (of)
therefore; and so; for that reason; accordingly; consequently; hence
rote memorization (memorisation); rote learning; indiscriminate memorizing (memorising)
rare; exceptional; extraordinary; unique; incomparable; unparalleled
extreme foolishness; grave stupidity; big fool; damn idiot; utter fool
severe; harsh; stringent; rigorous; strict; unfair
another; different; separate; discrete
staring-out (down) game; game in which two children looking at each other try to make the opponents laugh first; constant looking at something (e.g. the computer screen, the clock)
to come back (to); to return to a starting point
when push comes to shove; when needed; when necessity arises; when the moment arrives
cannot be helped; unavoidable
to take out (e.g. garbage); to put out (e.g. dishes on table); to serve (e.g. meal); to get out (e.g. food from cupboard); to submit (e.g. ideas, opinions); to provide for
contortion; distortion; warp; kink (in one's character); twist
indescribable; inexpressible; unspeakable; indefinable; nobody can tell
increasingly; more and more; decreasingly (when declining); less and less