straight; straightforward; direct; neat (e.g. spirits); black (e.g. tea, coffee); entering university directly from high school; fast ball
to be shy; to be bashful; to feel awkward; to feel embarrassed
magic; witchcraft; sorcery; spell
starting line; starting point
to stand up; to put up; to thrust into; to bury into; to make (a noise); to start (a rumour); to make
to turn one's hand to; to reach out one's hand; to get involved in; to make a move on; to strike; to beat
secret; private; surreptitious
lead nowhere; get one nowhere; no use; fruitless; there's no point (in doing)
to be forward; to be impertinent
to cram; to stuff; to jam; to squeeze; to compress; to pack
to cut corners; to be shoddy
failing to properly evaluate the (relative) importance (of); putting the cart before the horse; mistaking the cause for the end; mistaking the insignificant for the essential; getting one's priorities backwards
taking care of something by oneself; self-management
indeed; really; absolutely; truly; actually; very
the past; bygone days; one's past (that one would prefer remained secret); past (tense); preterit; previous life
to begin to say; to start talking; to broach (a matter); to be the first to say; to suggest (doing); to propose
research material; experimental material
placid; composed; big hearted; broad-minded; great quantity (of something)
to contract; to undertake; to take over; to take responsibility for
of no interest; not interested
with a complacent smile; with a smile of satisfaction
anyway; either way; one way or the other; whichever; whatever
a long way off; matter for the future; not going to happen anytime soon
a long time ago; long before now
putting into operation; invocation
to take; to carry (something) away; to bear
what; how; what (a) ...!; how ...!; surprisingly; to my amazement
blushing; getting red in the face; embarrassment
increasingly; more and more; decreasingly (when declining); less and less
challenge; defiance; dare; attempt; try
worthy of; worth doing; worth having
to refuse; to decline; to deny
to be taught; to learn; to take lessons in
placement; fixed position; mapping out; location
to cross over; to cross; to pass through; to exceed; to surpass; to be more (than)
learning; acquisition (of a skill, knowledge, etc.)
subject (of a medical experiment, etc.); test subject; trial subject; examinee (of a full-body scan, etc.)
to push; to press; to apply pressure from above; to press down; to stamp (i.e. a passport); to apply a seal; to affix (e.g. gold leaf)