(metal) bar; (wooden) rolling pin
cannot help feeling that; cannot help thinking that
slightly difficult; somewhat bothersome; troublesome; peevish; querulous
taste; feel on the tongue; manner; demeanour; demeanor
to slash back; to strike back; to counterattack; to retort; to quickly turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction; to cut the wheel
in short; in a word; to sum up; to put it simply; to make a long story short; after all
change of attitude (stance, position); lightness of foot; ability to dodge out of the way of an attack
sunny spot; exposure to the sun
first of all; at once; for now; for the time being; anyway; at least
spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
leaving everything to someone else
to have all the fun; to get the better part of the deal; to get the easy life
to tell (on someone); to tattle; to snitch
person in the wrong; malfeasant
faked information; bogus intelligence; disinformation
goodwill ambassador; friendship ambassador
to be sloppy; to be lazy; to be worn out; to be exhausted; to be worn out (e.g. equipment); to have stopped working
book or scroll that has been handed down through generations; book of secrets; delivering a letter
(for) how many days; what day (of the month)
long sentence; long piece of writing (e.g. passage, letter, article, telegram)
tedious; lengthy; overlong; long-winded
firstborn; first child; eldest child
breakup of diplomatic relations; diplomatic break
useless messenger; doing only as one is told; fool's errand
increase and decrease; fluctuation
to keep in mind; to memorize
unseasonable weather; fickle weather; bad weather
supply center; supply centre
production; output; turning out; extraction (e.g. of minerals)
decreasing (graph falling to the right); shrinking; declining
deep-seated; deep-rooted; ingrained
a matter for speculation; only conjecture; just guesswork
downward spiral; negative spiral; vicious circle
regarding as an enemy; treating as an enemy
to hang one's hopes on; to expect from