sword; blade; single stroke
to mow down; to scythe down; to knock someone off their feet
pardon; forgiveness; tolerance; leniency; mercy; going easy (on someone)
not to mention ...; needless to say ...; not to speak of ...; (arch.) negligent; (arch.) neglectful; (arch.) careless
response (felt in the hands); resistance; reaction; response; effect
Japanese timber bamboo (Phyllostachys bambsoides); giant timber bamboo; madake; Henon bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis)
to cut open; to cut apart; to divide; to split
to disappear; to vanish; (arch.) to die
top of the shoulders; tip of the shoulder; collar
roughly; approximately; (cutting) in one stroke; (breaking apart) with vigour; (cutting) deeply; (splitting) wide open
otherwise; or else; if not
to sustain a serious wound
(opening of) a wound; (mouth of a) wound; cut
just before; on the verge of; on the brink of; just in front of; just ahead of
no more than; just; only; mere; goes no further than
heat haze; shimmer of hot air
li (one of the trigrams of the I Ching: fire, south)
liking both alcohol and sweets; person who likes both liquor and sweets; bisexuality; player who can play as both pitcher and fielder; dual sword wielding; two-sword fencing
only; merely; just; at most; no more than
to take seriously; to believe in; to fall for
chance to win; opportunity to win; chance of victory
to run into (room, building, etc.); to go for long training runs
uncertain; vague; ambiguous
I'm sorry; my apologies; may I come in?; permission; leave; dismissal
to close (at a certain point); to cut short; to round up (number); to revalue (currency)
to incline; to lean; to devote oneself to; to concentrate on; to ruin; to squander
good luck; fortune; happiness; harvest; yield
one arm; one's right-hand man; one's right hand
severe wound; serious wound; gash
fixed; settled; constant; definite; uniform; regularized
to distance oneself (from); to keep (something or someone) at a distance; to maintain a distance (from)
weird; strange; mysterious
mechanism; machinery; trick; dodge; mechanical doll; string puppet
provocation; stirring up; arousal; excitement; stimulation
three times; thrice; third (musical interval); many times; over and over again
to bloom; to blossom; to become lively (esp. of conversation); to become animated; to experience a golden age
payback; tit for tat; retaliation; doing over again; redoing
to peel; to skin; to pare; to hull; to bare (e.g. fangs); to open wide (e.g. eyes)
to bite into; to sink one's teeth into
smallish; on the small side
contrary to expectations; or so we thought, but ...