to shorten; to narrow; to close; to shrink
a long time (since the last time); first in a long time
to be bewildered; to be perplexed
near; close; beside; third person
to get tired of; to lose interest in; to be fed up with; to have enough
to part (usu. of people); to part from; to separate (of a couple); to break up; to lose (e.g. one's mother); to be bereaved
talk about divorce or separation
to begin to say; to start talking; to broach (a matter); to be the first to say; to suggest (doing); to propose
to become stronger; to grow in intensity; to grow violent; to invite contributions, etc.; to solicit help, participation, etc.; to recruit (e.g. soldiers)
cold (e.g. weather); uninteresting (esp. joke); lame; dull
face; mug; surface; cheek meat; (arch.) cheek; (arch.) cheeks
to hurt; to ache; to feel a pain; to be injured; to be spoiled (e.g. food); to be damaged
putting on a brave face; put-on cheeriness; pretending one is fine; show of courage; bravado; Dutch courage
one; 1; best; first; foremost; beginning; start
to gather; to collect; to assemble
drinking party; get-together
to be unable to; to find difficult (unpleasant, awkward, painful) to do; to serve two or more functions or roles simultaneously; to contain (or combine) two or more features; to work in two or more jobs simultaneously (positions, etc.); to do alongside
regular; ordinary (e.g. session of parliament); established usage; precedent; regular practice
the other day; a few days ago
silver-gray hair; silver-grey hair; attractive older man with some gray hair
by nature; from the very beginning; through and through; absolutely (not); (not) at all
person who prefers sweet things to alcoholic drinks; person with a sweet tooth
alcohol; (alcohol-based) hand sanitizer
to lose interest; to be dampened (of enjoyment, interest, etc.); to fall flat; to turn sour
Japanese apricot (Prunus mume); Japanese plum; ume; lowest (of a three-tier ranking system)
sour cocktail (oft. carbonated); sour (taste)
little by little; bit by bit; sparingly
cooking; cookery; cuisine; dealing with something; handling; administration
to pinch; to hold (between one's fingers); to pick up and eat; to snack on; to pick out (the main point); to summarize
amount necessary to fill a container (e.g. cupful, spoonful, etc.); drink (usu. alcoholic); full; one squid, octopus, crab, etc.; one boat; fully; to capacity
suitable time; good time; propriety; moderation
menu; schedule; program; (computer) menu
pudding (esp. custard); black hair dyed blond but where the roots have again turned black
diligently; seriously; perfectly; properly; sufficiently; satisfactorily
glass (drinking vessel); glass (material); glasses (eyewear)
disagreeable; detestable; unpleasant; reluctant
to tell; to inform; to announce; to indicate; to signal; to mark