ruff; ruffled collar; ruffed collar
bronze-red (colour, color)
bamboo wall-top spikes (or wood, iron); spikes placed at the top of a wall to repel thieves
private agreement; private favour; inside joke; private joke
in spite of oneself; absently; involuntarily
absolute beginner; complete amateur
to loosen the reins; to let up on (someone)
to begin to grow light; to dawn
no problem; it doesn't matter
eyes of a predator; keen eyes; (lit.) eyes of a cormorant, eyes of a hawk
freshly laundered and starched; fresh and unwrinkled
cool; calm; composed; easy; simple
to plow (up); to plough (up)
local dialect; vernacular; provincialism; national language
common; in the usual course
dust and soot; particulate matter
nice-looking; seemingly fine; nice-sounding; polite-sounding; plausible (e.g. excuse); glib
make good use of; make the most of
to make a blunder; to bungle; to mess up; to make a foolish mistake
as is usual with; in common with
to be hard to deal with; to be an eccentric; to be idiosyncratic
one who knows little often repeats it
bolt from the blue; unforeseen event; complete surprise
desert climate; arid climate
to toil; to labor industriously
pearly lustre; pearly luster; iridescence
good at fighting; usually wins a fight
dead center; dead centre; right in the middle
the way (to somewhere); how to reach (a place)