trick; plot device; mystery-fiction trope
having at one's mercy; trifling with; toying with; playing with; making a fool of; leading around by the nose
to push; to propel; to shove; to spur (someone); to stimulate; to impel
congratulations!; well done!; best wishes!; all the best!
to reach one's ears; to come to one's knowledge; to hear about; to enter one's ears (e.g. of water)
half and half; fifty-fifty
ratio; proportion; percentage
to make time; to carve out some time (to do something)
to slide; to slip off; to get dislocated; to be out of alignment; to get dislodged; to deviate
saint; wise and virtuous person (esp. in Confucianism); great religious teacher; refined sake
(not) necessarily; (not) entirely; (not) altogether
upturn (e.g. economic); upward swing; jump (e.g. inflation)
persevering; very patient
sharp-eyed; keen-eyed; easily awakened
no matter what it takes; by any means necessary; at all costs; by hook or by crook
breaking off (an engagement, negotiations, etc.); cancellation
to push on; to plunge forward; to push one's way to
quietly; softly; seriously; solemnly; sadly
to correct; to touch up; to smarten up; to put one's hand in (e.g. pocket)
habit; (social) custom; practice; convention
turning point; critical juncture; knot (in a tree, etc.)
to breathe (heavily); to pant; to gasp; to live
solemn (ceremony, atmosphere, etc.); austere; grave; majestic; dignified; stately
balance of power (in a relationship); power dynamic
to get the hang of; to learn the secret to
minute adjustment; fine-tuning
three years; third school year (e.g. of high school)
to catch sight of; to come into view; to happen to see
adaptation; accommodation; conforming; acclimatization; acclimatisation
year by year; annually; every year; from year to year
daytime; noon; broad daylight
the more one looks (at it) the more ...
face; looks; countenance; vestige; trace; reminder
roost; nest; pad; crib; one's home
imbalance; disproportion; disparity; mismatch; asymmetry
service; duty; business; Buddhist religious services
to revere as a god; to worship as a god; to deify
to stand in a row (e.g. shops on a street); to line in a row; to line