younger brother; little brother; brother-in-law (spouse's younger brother or younger sister's husband); (arch.) pupil; (arch.) apprentice
small; fine; minute; minor; trivial; sensitive
oh!; ah!; oh dear!; good grief!; dear me!; thank God!
joke; playfulness; kidding around
pitch; tone; time; tempo; mood; tendency
way of talking; speaking style
to soften; to moderate; to relieve
(somebody else's) parents; both parents
obedient; meek; docile; honest; frank; upfront (about one's feelings)
standoffishly; primly; pungently (of a smell); acridly; long and pointed (e.g. of a nose); popping (of ears)
incidentally; taking the opportunity; while (you) are at it; on the occasion
to read the situation; to sense the mood
to master (e.g. a skill); to become accustomed to (e.g. a lifestyle); to acquire (e.g. a habit); to retain
year; counter for years (e.g. of an era), grades (e.g. school); period of an apprentice's contract (usu. ten years)
contents; interior; substance; content; (sword) blade
I've heard that ...; rumour has it that ...; it appears as if ...
scolding; telling-off; rebuke; lecture
to lessen; to decrease; to diminish
suddenly; at once; considerably; very much; firmly; with an effort
to make a fist; to clench one's fist
insistence; (major) emphasis; stress
earnest; sincere; pressing; urgent; pertinent; appropriate
vacantly; blankly; openmouthed; with one's mouth wide-open; with a whack; with a thump
clearing one's throat; cough
to deceive; to falsify; to dodge; to beg the question (issue, difficulties); to varnish over; to gloss over
unpleasant; awkward; embarrassing; uneasy
to make time; to carve out some time (to do something)
special someone; special person; precious one; significant other
fate; destiny (esp. as a mysterious force that binds two people together); relationship (e.g. between two people); bond; family ties; affinity; opportunity
to let go of; to release; to part with (e.g. a possession); to relinquish; to send away (e.g. one's child); to let go
eternity; perpetuity; permanence; immortality
it does not mean that ...; I don't mean that ...; it is not the case that...
together; jointly; at the same time; with; both
life; lifetime; career; for life; all one's life; throughout one's life
weight; weight (e.g. of someone's words); burden; importance; significance
painful; heartrending; trying; oppressive; suffocating; miserable
echo; reverberation; sound (esp. the distinctive sound of an object or activity, e.g. rain, gun, gallop, drum); noise; quality of a sound (e.g. a fine phrase, clear voice, resonant bell); feeling of a sound