bitter smile; wry smile; strained laugh; sarcastic laugh
throughout; all through; right through
at any cost; at any price; at any expense
shhh! (sound used when getting someone to shut up); shoo! (sound used to drive animals away)
thickheaded; obstinate; inflexible; stubborn
close; intimate; on good terms
pine tree (Pinus spp.); highest (of a three-tier ranking system)
countryman; provincial; person from the country; provincial person; bumpkin; hick
banter; raillery; ridicule; teasing; making fun of
to be too busy; to be occupied; to concentrate on single-mindedly
old; aged; long; since long ago; of the distant past; long-ago
to hurt; to ache; to feel a pain; to be injured; to be spoiled (e.g. food); to be damaged
examination; exam; test; trial; experiment; test
in proportion to; just as much as
to make way for; to make room for; to get out of the way; to pave the way for; to open up opportunity
to push aside; to brush aside
official bulletin board (esp. Edo period); highest bid; highest tender; your letter
to manage (all by oneself); to control; to run; to take charge of
beheading followed by mounting of the head on a pike in front of the prison (Edo period)
to take pride in; to pride oneself; to be proud of
commanding; awe-inspiring; bitter (cold); piercing
waiting room; anteroom; antechamber; green room
seat; seats; stands; grandstand; bleachers
large build; large pattern
to push aside; to push one's way through
unshapely; unsightly; clumsy; unpresentable; uncouth; awkward
to expose (to the sun, public, danger, etc.); to bleach; to refine; to rinse (vegetables); to soak; to doxx
not straightforward; not dealt with by ordinary means
asking; enquiring; searching; looking for
set; suit; uniform collection; entirely; all; every one
dear me!; good gracious!; well; let me see; now
pride; self-confidence; thinking highly of oneself; being proud of one's abilities or achievements
irregular; atypical; anomalous; anomalistic; abnormal
precise; accurate; appropriate; exactly the right
to be forestalled; to fall behind; to be one step behind
unsatisfying; disappointing; abrupt; not enough; too quick; too short
point of a spear; spearhead; focus (of one's attack, criticism, etc.); aim; force (of an argument); edge
to conceive; to become pregnant; to get filled with (e.g. sails filled with wind); to be swollen with; to contain (a contradiction, danger, etc.); to carry (a problem, consequences, etc.)