cash; ready money; money on hand; mercenary; self-interested; calculating
competition; contest; rivalry; competition (between organisms or species)
only; merely; just; at most; no more than
to grapple with; to wrestle with; to engage in a bout; to tackle (e.g. a problem); to come to grips with; to work hard on
play; playing; pleasure; amusement; play (in a mechanism, e.g. a steering wheel); slack
(preliminary) skirmish; prelude; preliminary encounter; warm-up match (e.g. before a final)
entry (in an event, competition, etc.); applying for entry; registering to participate; entry (on a blog, in a database, etc.); post
to perceive; to grasp (the situation)
riding together; fellow passenger; joint partnership
one class (of students); one group (of people); one set (of items); one pair
in name only; figurehead; (only) by name
minimum; minuscule; local minimum
to stop (doing); to cease; to desist; to drop; to lay off; to give up
to be closed; to be blocked; to be clogged; to be plugged up; to be occupied; to be taken (e.g. accommodation)
mumbling; chewing one's words; chewing (food); squirming; wriggling
to get to know each other; to make acquaintance
guardian; protector; patron; parent
thoughtlessly; rashly; unwisely; halfway; half-done; incomplete
bothersome; tiresome; bother to do
to have sparkling eyes; to have shining eyes; to have a gleam in one's eyes
(apparently) that's what it's like, isn't it; that sort of (thing mentioned immediately prior)
bitter smile; wry smile; forced smile; strained laugh
likely to do; liable to do; (quite) capable of doing; may (well) do; might do; could do
to die out; to peter out; to become extinct; to cease; to be stopped; to be discontinued
to be sticky; to be adhesive; to persevere; to persist; to stick to
surrender; submission; capitulation; being defeated (e.g. by a problem); giving up; giving in
to accomplish; to finish; to carry through; to follow through
story; tale; legend; plot; storyline
staff; staff member; stuffing (in Western cuisine); filling; stuff; materials
playfulness; playful mood; imaginativeness
pattern; behavioural pattern; behavioral pattern; predictability
to redeem (from sin); to save
support; help; backing; covering (from enemy attack); protection
(laughing) foolishly; (smiling) thoughtlessly; indiscreetly (talking); carelessly (speaking); thin (paper, cloth, etc.); flimsy
and yet; though; when; in spite of
to knock down; to beat up (till unable to stand)
let sleeping dogs lie; wake not a sleeping lion; (lit.) the spirit you do not approach will not curse you
explanation (e.g. for one's actions); excuse; justification; defense; defence
prajna (wisdom required to attain enlightenment); hannya; mask of a grinning, horned demoness (represents a woman's rage and jealousy); dreadful face (esp. of a woman driven mad by jealousy); terrifying facial expression
to put one's palms together (e.g. when praying or asking for something); to place one's hands together; to compete against someone; to play (a game, match, etc.) against someone