to mince; to cut fine; to carve; to engrave; to tick away (time); to beat out (e.g. rhythm); to etch (into one's mind)
habit; behavior; behaviour; trait
outer surface; outward appearance; outside; outside; outer; outward
desperately; for one's dear life
to notice; to become aware; to be scrupulous; to be attentive; to recover consciousness; to come to oneself
waiting to see one's opponent's move before doing anything (e.g. as a disallowed act in rock, paper, scissors)
to tear; to rip; to break through (cordon, opponent's defense, etc.); to breach; to defeat; to beat; to break (e.g. silence)
to have a limit; to go too far (e.g. joke)
there is no way that ...; easy; simple
millennium; one thousand years; (fig.) long time
I don't know about ... but; it may be possible for ... but
present age; present day; today; modern era; modern times
to kill one's enemy (opponent)
government service; entering government service; (of a ronin) finding a new lord or master to serve
transition; change; progress; passing (of time)
to omit; to leave out; to exclude; to curtail; to save; to cut down
bonds (between people); (emotional) ties; relationship; tether; fetters
treachery; betrayal; perfidy
occupation; calling; livelihood
mankind; the human creature; fellow creatures
firm; strong; solid; stable
to trample underfoot; to tread on; to crush with a foot
to backfire; to have a harmful result
counterintelligence; counterespionage
making doubly sure; insurance run (baseball); points scored for good measure
(living) sacrifice; victim; scapegoat
to lift up; to hold up; to give; to offer; to devote; to sacrifice
to loosen; to slacken; to relax (attention, efforts, etc.); to let down (one's guard); to relax (a rule); to ease (e.g. restrictions)
snake in one's bosom; treacherous friend
in short; in brief; to sum up; ultimately; in the end; in the long run
falsehood; untruth; lie; fallacy (logic)
trust; confidence; credence
why?; what for?; how?; by what means?
to wield; to brandish; to display (one's knowledge); to show off; to abuse (one's power); to manipulate someone
confidence; trust; faith; credit (finance)
actually; really; truly; in practice; practically
being excluded; being ignored; being kept in the dark (about); being kept out of the loop; (lit.) outside the mosquito net
(coming to an) agreement; consent; mutual understanding; accord; consensus
interference; intervention; meddling
given that ... it is only natural that ...; ... being the case, it is unavoidable that ...; (precisely) because ...; contrary to expectations ...