intermittently; bit by bit; little by little; in drops (e.g. of rain)
with ... as a start; taking advantage of; inspired by
poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at); not one's cup of tea; not one's favorite
to step into (e.g. someone else's territory); to break into; to raid; to come to grips with; to get to the core of
left and right; right and left; (asserting) control; influence; one's attendants; people accompanying one
to wave; to shake; to sprinkle; to throw (dice); to cast (actor); to allocate (work); to turn down (somebody)
to speak to; to give a (something) talk to; to speak words of (something)
alley; alleyway; teahouse garden; path through a gate (or through a garden, etc.)
corner; edge; (street) corner; turning; rough edges (of one's character, words, etc.); abrasiveness
to bend; to curve; to turn; to be awry; to be askew
son (of others); boy; young master; green young man from a well-to-do family; young man innocent of the ways of the world
stature; height; size; physique
deep; profound; dense; thick; close (relationship); intense; strong
to put on (one's head); to wear; to be covered with (dust, snow, etc.); to pour (water, etc.) on oneself; to bear (e.g. someone's debts, faults, etc.); to take (blame); to overlap (e.g. sound or color)
-ish; -like; resembling; appearing to be; seeming to be
cruel; heartless; violent; intense; very bad; terrible
tightly (holding on); firmly; strongly (built); solidly; properly; well
irritation; annoyance; frustration
to grow up; to become an adult; to become big; to grow in size
quite; utterly; really; completely
to be at a complete loss; to be without recourse; to be completely stymied; to have absolutely no idea what to do
one; 1; best; first; foremost; beginning; start
to engage (with); to be in gear (with); to bite each other; to be on the same wavelength
to play (a stringed or keyboard instrument)
to turn one's face; to turn around; to look over one's shoulder
to be saved; to be rescued; to escape harm; to be spared damage; to be helped; to be saved trouble
relief; reassurance; recognition of right to land ownership (by the shogunate, a feudal lord, etc.); (arch.) living safely surrounded by walls
to take a breath; to take a short rest
public square; square; plaza; open space; clearing
near; neighbourhood; nearly (e.g. "it took nearly one year"); close to; shortly; soon
to lose one's way; to get lost
to court; to woo; to approach defiantly
(on a) closer look; closer scrutiny; second look
to seize; to catch; to obtain; to acquire; to understand; to grasp
(coming to a) mutual understanding; understanding each other
even if ...; even supposing that ...
unpleasant; awkward; embarrassing; uneasy