self-proclaimed; self-professed; professing oneself to be; calling oneself; first person
intermittently; bit by bit; little by little; in drops (e.g. of rain)
nominalizing suffix; pretending to ...; playing make-believe ...
(any) particular; special; particularly noteworthy; worth mentioning
investigation; inspection; examination; tune; note; melody
remote region; outlying district; border district; frontier
count; earl; chief official of the Department of Worship (under the ritsuryō system); Brazil
border (between countries); national border
average; medium; mid-grade (item); regular grade; same level as; equal to
weak and small; inferior in strength and size; minor; young; youthful
crossing swords; competing against; contending with; fighting against
shoe; shoes; boots; footwear; footgear
business; enterprise; venture; (social) project; undertaking; enterprise
to turn upside down; to turn (face) downward
to press against; to push against; to force against; to foist on (task, responsibility); to impose (one's will)
party (of people); set (of people); clan; family; fellow
getting information (esp. by interviewing witnesses, etc. in a police investigation)
high-pressure selling; aggressive peddling; the hard sell; forcing on someone (e.g. kindness)
to be lifted; to be raised; to happen suddenly; to occur; to be homeroom teacher for the same class multiple years in a row; to move up with one's class
detection (of a plot, fraud, etc.); discovery; coming to light; being uncovered
surely (not); certainly (not)
to meddle (in someone's affairs); to poke one's nose into; to interfere; to make a pass (at someone); to hit on
shady; underhanded; questionable
checking answers (e.g. to homework problems); verifying one's answers
superiority; predominance
it's worth it; worth every penny; deserving; worthwhile
anticlimax; let-down; disappointment; loss of interest
waiting (e.g. at the stage door) for performers or celebrities to exit
to come face to face (with)
active; dynamic; behavioural
quickly adaptable; pro-active
to think up; to think out; to knit (a pattern into a sweater, etc.); to start knitting
devastating; gut-wrenching; shocking; startling; sensational; astounding
to bring forward (e.g. by 3 hours); to advance; to hasten (e.g. one's death); to quicken (e.g. one's step); to speed up; to accelerate
acknowledgement; acknowledgment; understanding; approval; consent
to talk to oneself; to mutter
half the body; half length
deep down; special place in one's heart; in the back of one's mind
backward country; underdeveloped country; developing country
developed country; advanced country