life; life force; lifetime; lifespan; most important thing; foundation
to chuckle to oneself; to gloat (over)
a thorn in one's side; a pain in the butt (often someone higher in rank, ability, etc.); nuisance; something in the way
willful; wilful; selfish; carefree; do-as-you-please; freewheeling
independent action; acting alone
eyesore; unpleasant sight; obstructing a view
there's no (other) way; cannot be helped; unavoidable; it's no use (doing); pointless; hopeless (person)
forever; for good; eternally; as long as one likes; indefinitely; no matter what
to spill; to drop; to grumble; to complain; to let one's feelings show
it does not mean that ...; I don't mean that ...; it is not the case that...
threat; bird-scaring device (scarecrow, gun, etc.)
to turn inside out; to turn the other way; to look at (something) from another perspective; to put it the other way round; to visit the same prostitute or geisha for a second time
preferential treatment; special treatment; discrimination; express delivery; special delivery
to revel in trouble and discord; to be bent on making trouble; to like starting fights
I've heard that ...; rumour has it that ...; it appears as if ...
inquisitive mind; spirit of inquiry; spirit of enquiry
in accordance with; according to; as X, then Y (e.g. as we age we gain wisdom, as wine matures it becomes more valuable, etc.)
custom; practice; said; aforementioned; instance; example
closely contested constituency; highly competitive marketplace; (fig.) battleground
to brace one's legs; to stand firm; to plant one's feet (firmly on the ground); to hold out; to persist; to make an effort
superior; excellent; brilliant; outstanding
research material; experimental material
dry; dry (tone, humour, etc.); unemotional; dry (of alcohol)
abdomen; belly; womb; one's mind; one's real intentions; courage; nerve
probe each other; sound each other out
to go wrong; to turn for the worse
collision; crash; running into; conflict; quarrel; clashing
far from; anything but; not at all; let alone; to say nothing of; not to mention
to scatter away; to vanish
quite capable of ...; could happen; not unlikely to
but then; although; though; reasonable; natural; just
meaning; significance; sense
the more ... the more ...; as; (arch.) while; (arch.) during; (arch.) because; (arch.) since
place; location; room; space; basho; wrestling tournament
to break; to be broken; to be folded; to give in; to back down; to turn (a corner)
until then; till then; to that extent; the end of it; all there is to it
to kindle; to build a fire; to instigate; to stir up; to incite
style; way; shape; form; appearance; state
at the last moment; this late in the game
to dodge; to evade; to avoid; to sidestep
empty; void; vain; fruitless; lifeless
to love one another; to be affectionate towards each other; to have sex; to make love
in comparison to; rather than
shallow; superficial; thoughtless; short-sighted; foolish; silly
narrow; confined; small; limited; narrow-minded; confining