it is ... that ...; precisely; although; while; it is precisely because ... that ...; only because ...
becoming a pupil (of); becoming an apprentice
terrible; dreadful; amazing (e.g. of strength); great (e.g. of skills); to a great extent; vast (in numbers)
to think of; to hit upon; to come into one's mind; to remember; to recall
technique; art; skill; move
to steal; to plagiarize; to steal (a technique, idea, etc.); to do stealthily; to do during scant time; to steal a base
to use (a thing, method, etc.); to make use of; to use (a person, animal, puppet, etc.); to employ; to use (time, money, etc.); to spend
to read and understand; to subject to close analysis; to read deeply; to decipher; to decode
very; considerably; by no means; not readily; middle; half-way point
tactics; strategy; military operation; naval operation
claim; insistence; assertion; advocacy; emphasis; contention
to start; to begin; to start up (a business, society, etc.); to open (e.g. a store); to start ...; to begin to ...
to push into; to cram into; to stuff into; to break in; to burgle; to burglarize
while; even though; despite
with the exception of; excepting; excluding
explanation; exposition; description; account; caption; legend
to return; to come home; to leave; to get home; to get to home plate
direction; way; person; lady; method of; manner of; care of ...
level; standard; level (plane); floor; spirit level; (surveyor's) level
to be solved; to be resolved; to loosen; to come untied; to be removed (of restrictions); to be lifted (e.g. a ban)
one way or another; in many ways; in various ways
to have a talk; to tell a story
previously; already; for some time; for quite a while
trouble; bother; annoyance; to be troubled (by); to be bothered (by); to be inconvenienced (by)
so; therefore; accordingly; consequently; on those grounds; that is why
as one would expect; just as you'd expect (from); still; all the same; even ... (e.g. "even a genius")
glasses; eyeglasses; spectacles; judgment; judgement; discrimination
liked; well-liked; in love (with); loved; faddism; eccentricity
good; excellent; fine; nice; pleasant; agreeable
everyone; anyone; no one; nobody
rather; better; instead; if anything
to be helpful; to be dependable; to stand by (someone)
certainly; of course; even if; no matter (who, what, when, where, why, how); without even; without so much as; at the (least, earliest, etc.)
another time; again; over again; formally; especially; intentionally
slowly; quietly; steadily; soon; momentarily; before long
distinction; difference; separate; different; exception; exclusion
place; location; room; space; basho; wrestling tournament
first of all; to begin with; probably; most likely; more or less (satisfactory); on the whole
had better ...; had better not ...
to say something is all right; to give the all-clear (e.g. to do something)
to see someone off (at a station, an airport, etc.); to escort (e.g. home); to follow something with one's eyes until it is out of sight; to let pass; to pass up (an opportunity etc.); to shelve (a plan, deliberation on a bill, etc.); to postpone