wintry desolation; poor business conditions
to approach the year end; to be jammed tight
New Year's Eve; December 31
not long has passed since ...
feeling rough (of the throat); irritated
like everyone else; like most people; like an ordinary person; as much as anyone else
to ward off; to brush away; to fling off; to drive away
thirtieth day of the month; thirty days
divide into four pieces; one fourth
calculation; computation; bill; check; consideration; allowance
using every trick (in the book)
bumping of heads; running into; coming across; encountering
spraying; sprayer; atomizer; atomiser
to be utterly amazed; to be stunned; to be disgusted
arguing back and forth; bandying words; verbal tug-of-war
to check someone's temperature
gradations (on a ruler, thermometer, etc.); division; scale
to be infected; to be contagious
good fences make good neighbors; a hedge between keeps friendship green
pathogenic bacteria; germ; pathogen
break (in the weather, esp. rain or snow); interval of clear weather; patch of blue sky; (arch.) period of serenity
to feel hot; to flush; to burn
western style-house (esp. those built before WWII)
drill; gimlet; awl; auger
to split; to be split; to splinter
hard-packed dirt (clay, gravel, etc.) floor; concrete floor
here and there; little by little; sporadically; dots; spots
the whole week; all the week
snow-white; pure; immaculate
to emit a voice; to emit a sound; to be able to speak
vigorously; with great force; energetically; enthusiastically; with spirit
leather boots; rubber boots; wellingtons; wellies; long boots; high boots
December; twelfth month of the lunar calendar
entrance door; front door; gateway (to a region, etc.)
mandarin (esp. the satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu)); mandarin orange; tangerine; citrus (Citrus spp.)
to drag into; to pull into; to lure inside; to win over; to entice into
beginning of the year; early in the New Year
racket; paddle (in table-tennis)
tool; implement; instrument; equipment
to become red; to redden; to blush