sprinkling (of rain, salt, etc.); pattering; flipping (through a book, etc.); riffling; sparse; scattered
fragment; broken piece; chip; ounce (of truth, conscience, etc.); trace; shred
to imitate; to copy; to mock; to trace; to forge
fantastic; grotesque; strange-looking; suspicious-looking
to keep company; to listen to; to associate with; to play against (e.g. a team); to take on (e.g. a rival)
clay doll; clay figure; clay figurine
quick; prompt; alert; smart; clever; astute
diagonally upward; (going in a) completely unexpected direction (of a story, result, etc.)
contraction; shrinking; shrinkage; constriction; deflation
to have excess momentum (from going too fast, using too much force, etc.); to get carried away; to go overboard; to overdo (something)
terracotta army (clay figurines found near the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor in China); terracotta warriors and horses
wandering (around); roaming; loitering; prowling; hanging around
to turn back; to go back; to come back; to return; to retrace one's steps
open; spacious; extensive
maintenance; servicing; putting in place; development; improvement
rugged; scraggy; angular; gnarled
bare rock; rock surface; rock face
hall; saloon; spacious room; reception room
roughly; approximately; round about; cursorily; briefly; quickly
to be imminent; to loom; to be approaching; to be impending
weird; eerie; ominous; creepy; uncanny; unearthly
technique; art; skill; move
rapid succession (e.g. questions)
by all means; at any cost; whether (one is) willing or not; willingly or unwillingly; on no account; by no means
unfavourable comparison; unfavorable comparison
to dance (orig. a hopping dance); to be manipulated; to dance to someone's tune
to slip through (a crowd); to weave through (e.g. traffic); to pass through; to get around; to elude (e.g. the law); to evade
in turns; in series; in order; by rotation
dust; mine dust; mineral dust; airborne particles; fine powder; particulate matter
the three character styles: square and semicursive and grass
to make a display of; to show off; to flaunt
to turn away; to bear off; to veer away; to deviate (e.g. of a conversation); to digress; to go astray
looking away; looking aside; outsider's perspective; observer's view
sulky look (often with puffed cheeks); sullen look; pout; glower
remaining strength; surplus energy; reserve power; money to spare
to turn on one's heel; to turn back; to return
how long; how far; how much
pacing (e.g. in athletics, etc.); pacing oneself
in the end; at the end of the day