poor; pitiable; pathetic; pitiful
to grow timid; to cower; to become perverse; to become contrary; to be cramped; to be constrained
contract; compact; agreement
marriage proposal; courtship
certain; unmistaken; evident; obvious; beyond doubt
working adult; full-fledged member of society
to tower above the rest; to be by far the best; to be prominent; to be outstanding; to be a cut above
to be seen from the point of view of an onlooker
better; preferable; more; increase; (arch.) increase; (arch.) growth
high-spec; highly competitive (on the dating scene, e.g. by having a high income, being good-looking); ticking all the boxes
to flatter; to curry favor with; to curry favour with; to flirt with (woman with a man); to make eyes at (a man)
majority; more than half; most (of); mostly; largely; mainly
protagonist; main character; hero(ine) (of a story); head of household
dot; spot; mark (in an exam, etc.); grade; point (in a game); score; point (in geometry)
to cut open; to clear (land); to cut (a path, road, etc.); to carve out (a new career, future, etc.); to open up (a new field)
foresight; foreknowledge; intimation; premonition; prediction
wiles; sinister design; trick; conspiracy; intrigue
being fond of; having a liking for; to the liking of; favored by; popular with
to compete (with each other); to contend for; to vie for; to rival
older brother and younger sister
surging waves; raging billows; turbulent; tempestuous; tumultuous
rising up; towering; plump; chubby; shaggy; hairy
dual personality; split personality
anyhow; anyway; somehow or other; apart from ...; setting ... aside
being a fan of; being a supporter of; pushing for; one's favourite (member of an idol group, character in an anime, player in a team, etc.)
phantom; vision; illusion; extremely rare item
to get excited; to be roused (to action); to get the itch (to do)
to draw back; to sink; to be set back (e.g. from a road); to withdraw (e.g. from the public eye); to retire to (somewhere)
yesterday and today; only recently; just recently; only yesterday
very thin; flimsy; cheap; shallow
mess; jumble; muddle; chaos
atonement; the Atonement (of Jesus Christ)
character (in a play or novel); dramatis personae
(non-documentary) television series; TV drama; teledrama; drama; dramatic incident; spectacle
to reminisce; to engage in a lively conversation; to discuss mutual interests
food; foodstuff; eating; appetite; meal; portion