is that so? (generally rhetorical)
easy; trifling; harmless; nothing of the sort; not at all
simile; metaphor; allegory; parable
to have one's heart stop beating; to be shocked; to be staggered
dramatic; exciting; touching; extreme
rain shower in late autumn (fall) or early winter; seasonable rain
nape of the neck; back of the neck; scruff of the neck
to go along; to walk along; to follow
chance; start; cue; excuse; motive; impetus
incident; affair; happening; event
reading; reading (of a kanji, esp. kun reading); reading (e.g. of a situation); insight
lively group (usu. young people); dynamic bunch; group (art)
community; circles; kingdom; erathem; field (electrical); border
popular use; circulation; to pass as; to pass for
road; path; route; way; distance; journey; road (e.g. to victory)
to condemn; to blame; to urge; to press; to torture; to torment
to cause; to induce; to bring about; to pull upright; to help up (e.g. a fallen person)
to declare; to assert; to say bluntly; to say straight out
to threaten; to menace; to frighten (into doing)
anonymous author; pseudonymous author; writer who conceals his identity
distrust; unjust suspicion
mask; veil; disguise; anonymous; unmarked; incognito
far from; anything but; not at all; let alone; to say nothing of; not to mention
treatment; service; handling (of a machine, tool, etc.); operation; treating as; treating like
affirmation; affirmative (logic)
reasoning; inference; deduction; mystery or detective genre
female high-school student
literature; the arts; art and literature; liberal arts
prize-winner; recipient (of a prize, award, etc.)
leak (of information); leakage (of electricity)
white; unseasoned; undyed; very much; precisely; playing dumb
to join (hands); to take (each other's hands); to scramble for; to struggle for; to pay attention to; to take notice of
perhaps; maybe; perchance; by some chance; by any chance
patience; perseverance; persistence; tenacity; energy
rag; scrap; fault (esp. in a pretense, pretence); defect; run-down; shabby
prophet; predictor; prognosticator
and yet; despite this; but even so; but even then; however; nevertheless
to make clear; to clarify; to disclose; to make public
use; application; employment; utilization; utilisation
fame; reputation; popularity; rumour (rumor); talk
life; existence; (one's) working life; career; life force; lifeblood