thorn; spine; splinter (esp. lodged in one's flesh); hard sharp item (esp. lodged in one's throat, e.g. fish bone); biting words
just (now); quite (near); unintentionally; subconsciously
provocative; incendiary; inflammatory; suggestive; lascivious; risqué
to reply; to respond; to answer; to talk back; to retort
sweet (e.g. young girls, flowers blooming); touchingly lovely; cute; pitiful; pitiable
never mind that; don't worry about that; listen up
to follow another's example
continent; continental Asia (esp. mainland China); continental Europe
western direction; Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise); western fighter in a match (e.g. sumo)
various countries; various regions; various provinces
to crown; to cap; to prefix with; to start with; to begin with
once; before; formerly; never yet; never before; first time
prison; jail; gaol; firm; solid; strong
popular name; common name; nickname; alias
den of vice; rogue's den; brothel; red-light district; cluttered room
cloistered emperor; ex-emperor who has become a monk
puzzling; tangled; complicated; complex
Holy City (e.g. Jerusalem, Mecca)
to be scattered; to straggle; to be found here and there
concealment; hiding; ambush; incubation; latency; dormancy
murmur; mutter; murmuring; tweet; Twitter post
to pick up; to find; to gather
same feeling; same sentiment; same opinion; sympathy; agreement; concurrence
don't let your guard down; carelessness is the great enemy; danger comes soonest when it is despised
(a) principle; (a) reason; (a) point; some truth
tail (animal); tail end; tip
good-for-nothing; worthless
repatriation; return; (electrical) feedback
full of (e.g. mistakes); riddled with; covered all over with (blood, mud, etc.)
crunchy; gritty (sand, pebbles, etc.)
indicates uncertainty or second hand nature of information quoted
frequently; repeatedly; eagerly; keenly; hard; terribly
to mind (negative nuance); to care about; to worry; to pay undue (amount of) attention to (something)
no concern of mine; nothing to do with me
vigilance; caution; alertness; precaution; being on guard
belief; faith; adherence; espousal
to become overgrown; to grow thick; to spread; to run rampant; to thrive
stinging; smarting; on edge; nervous; ripping; peeling
indication; sign; hint; tone (of the market)
previous time; last time; previous installment; previous instalment; previous session
quick; swift; nimble; quick (understanding, judgement, etc.); alert; prompt