several times; once or twice
... is the reason; ... is my excuse
whispering; subdued; murmuring; dry and tasteless
skirmish; brush (with the enemy); small fight with a military enemy; squabble; quarrel; brief argument
speciality; specialty; subject of study; expert; area of expertise
ease of use; user-friendliness; usability; utility; convenience
reaction; recoil; kick; backlash
to take action; to start; to get started; to begin to do
important point; emphasis; iteration mark; colon (punctuation)
opposite; opposition; versus; vs.; to (e.g. "winning a game five to three"); equal footing
in short; in brief; to sum up; ultimately; in the end; in the long run
halting (speech); faltering; stammering
to throw at; to turn; to raise
thought; imagination; mind; desire; wish; love
to shut oneself in (e.g. one's room); to be confined in; to be filled with (emotion, enthusiasm, etc.); to fill the room (of a gas, smell, etc.); to be heavy with (e.g. smoke); to be muffled (e.g. voice); to hold (a castle, fortress, etc.)
unattractive; ugly; unstylish; uncool
to take into one's possession; to receive; to take into one's care (e.g. person, pet); to take custody of; to leave; to go away
house (e.g. of Tokugawa); family
two-family house; house for a two-generation family
sleepover; overnight stay
(next-door) neighbour; neighbor
to lock up; to shut up; to imprison
self-satisfaction; (self-)complacency; smugness
ease; relaxation; comfort; unwinding
at every opportunity; for each and every thing that crops up; with every little thing; whenever possible; whenever the chance arises; at every turn
to charge; to lunge; to flare up (at someone); to turn on (someone); to collide with; to bump into
ten thousand years; eternity; perennial; perpetual
individual; one by one; separate; each
guest; visitor; customer; client; shopper
maid; helper; help; assistance
cooperation; mutual aid (help)
look!; there!; here!; that is
occasion; time; section (of a literary work); paragraph; season; term; principle