not funny; not a laughing matter; not a joke
wisdom; wit; sagacity; prajna (insight leading to enlightenment)
focus; focal point; focus (of attention, a discussion, etc.); point at issue; focus
absorption; giving undivided attention; devoting oneself (to)
finishing blow; coup de grâce
being reluctant to give out (pay, provide, etc.); giving out grudgingly
evaluation meeting; postmortem session; review meeting
to reflect on (oneself, past conduct, etc.); to contemplate; to examine; to think over; to introspect
to etch (name, etc.); to carve (design)
being off guard; being defenseless
doing; in such a state; doing together; doing to each other; familiarizing suffix (sometimes meaning "small")
to learn by experience; to learn one's lesson; to learn the hard way; to be discouraged (by); to have enough (of); to be disgusted (with)
one way or another; in many ways; in various ways
reduction; curtailment; cut; cutback; scaling down; contraction
to appear uncomfortable (with); to seem to hate; to express dislike
to be fated; to be linked by fate
each (person); everyone; individual; respective
red ball; amber; (arch.) patent medicine; brand of sweet wine
deliberation; discussion; consideration
context (of a passage); line of thought; context (of a matter, event, etc.); circumstances; background
to pass (e.g. car); to overtake; to surpass; to outstrip; to get ahead of
system; organization; organisation; imperial command; laws; regulation
(sexual) bondage; rope bondage; playing with self-imposed restrictions (to increase the game's difficulty)
once again; yet again; (there you go) again
romance (e.g. Arthurian romances); heroic tale; (nigh) impossible dream; adventurous spirit; (full-length) novel; romance
sacrifice; victim (esp. someone killed); casualty; sacrifice (to a deity)
to avenge (someone) by striking down their killer
close attention; (watching with) keen interest
to meet the requirements; to satisfy the conditions
bride; (one's) daughter-in-law; wife
borrowing something without returning it; mooching; welching
to join; to be put together; to combine; to unite; to fit; to close (e.g. of a wound)
cruel; brutal; savage; barbarous
to look at from the outside; to view from an outsider's perspective; to be seen from the point of view of an onlooker
lightly; easily; carelessly
defenseless; defenceless; unprotected; vulnerable
to hew; to chop up; to mangle; to mince