gradually; by degrees; little by little; steps; stairs; staircase
story; tale; narrative; account; fable; legend
to inlay; to set; to stud (e.g. star-studded sky); to enchase (something) with; to mount (gems)
to continue (for a long time); to occur in succession; to come next (e.g. on TV)
semi-transparent; translucent
previous work; preceding work; first crop grown in a double-cropped field; preceding crop
to; for; from the standpoint of; as far as ... is concerned
hand; arm; handwriting; penmanship; 'shake' (command to have a dog place its paw in your hand)
this occasion; at this time; now
the more ... the more ...; as; (arch.) while; (arch.) during; (arch.) because; (arch.) since
blink (of eyes); wink; twinkling (of stars); flicker (of light); blink (of light)
just one person; only one
to illuminate; to shine a light on; to light up
(telephone) call; (telephone) ring; shout; call; call loan (e.g. 30-day call); call money
incessant; constant; continuous; perpetual; everlasting
black and white; monochrome; good and evil; right and wrong; guilt and innocence
for generations; hereditary; generation after generation
to struggle; to writhe; to wriggle; to act frantically; to make desperate efforts
(confronting a problem, etc.) head-on; directly; outright; (lit.) from the front
to lose sight of (one's companions); to stray from; to miss (one's chance to ...)
to blur; to shade off; to gradate; to obscure; to make ambiguous
light; faint; pale; fleeting
contour; outline; summary; outline; looks; features
useless; vain; aimless; idle
sobering up; method of sobering up
accounting; finance; bill (at a restaurant); check; accountant; treasurer
full bloom (esp. of cherry blossom); full blossom
at the very beginning; first of all; first and foremost; before anything else
grandmother; old woman; female senior citizen
grandfather (may be used after name as honorific); male senior-citizen (may be used after name as honorific)
stingy; cheap; very frugal
invitation; introduction; temptation
preservation; retainment; keeping