papier mâché; something that looks good superficially
indeed; really; truly; very much
spurious article; forgery; counterfeit; imitation; sham
actor; actress; man of wits; clever person; cunning fellow
sharing a table with someone you don't know (e.g. at a restaurant)
stairwell; stair hall; staircase
high; noble; refined; advanced
to be full; to wax (e.g. moon); to rise (e.g. tide); to mature; to expire
fantastic; magical; wondrous; whimsical; fairytale-like; romantic
to border; to fringe; to hem; to edge
extra (charge, fare, etc.); premium; bonus; (after a number) tenths increase
Bakumatsu period; closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate; end of the Edo period
epidemic; plague; pestilence
to come out (e.g. hair); to fall out; to collapse (e.g. building, floor); to be left out; to be omitted
quickly; briefly; rashly; carelessly; (flowing) in trickles
stupid; meaningless; worthless; hopeless (person, situation); beyond help; beyond saving
side parting; hair parted to one side
heart-pounding; exciting; thrilling; to have one's heart pound; to be thrilled
to go under; to pass under; to dive (into or under the water); to evade; to get around; to survive
warp (fictional faster-than-light spacecraft propulsion)
science fiction; sci-fi; SF
in (of a ball, in tennis, etc.); inside the line; in; inside; enter here; enter
this world; this life; current epoch (i.e. the Holocene epoch)
cloth; fabric; dough; batter; inherent quality; one's true character; unglazed pottery
while it may be true that; just because; nevertheless; not necessarily
strike (i.e. industrial action)
utensil; implement; tool; instrument; appliance; apparatus
scale; scope; plan; structure
to strip; to peel; to tear off
area; vicinity; side; edge; circumstances
to crunch; to masticate; to simplify; to explain plainly
distinctive of; characteristic of; uniquely applying to; but; except; without
reversal; return; return gift; return favour (favor); barb (on a fishing hook); mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin