(place) near by; (place) close by; (place) right next to; as soon as; right after
rather than; more ... than ...
to tease; to make fun of; to poke fun at; to make a crack about; to chaff; to kid
couscous; cuscus (variety of phalanger)
full stomach; bellyful; (eat) heartily; to one's heart's content
to see through (a lie, scheme, etc.); to see into (someone's mind); to read (someone's true feelings); to penetrate
godsend; lifesaver; timely offer; windfall
things to be washed; (dirty) dishes; laundry; washing
in the meanwhile; during the time
to lend; to loan; to rent out; to hire out; to hand (over); to give
receiving; getting; eating; drinking; please (give me; do for me)
Eh?; What?; Come on!; Damn!
rare; uncommon; not often seen
request; favor; favour; reliance; dependence; trust
to leave one's seat; to temporarily excuse oneself (from a meeting, etc.); to step outside; to be away (from one's desk, etc.)
chair; seat; stool; post; position; seat
to pull; to tug; to draw (attention, sympathy, etc.); to attract (e.g. interest); to draw back (e.g. one's hand); to draw in (one's chin, stomach, etc.); to draw (a card, mahjong tile, etc.)
front; frontage; facade; main
shady online money-making
very interesting; of absorbing interest; having a keen interest (in); being immensely curious (about)
to be surprised; to be amazed; to be frightened; surprise (e.g. surprise party)
speech; expression; wording; language
disagreeableness; unpleasantness; nastiness; cutting remark; disagreeable remark; snide comment
particle; atom; little piece; not at all; not the slightest
good feeling; good will; favourable impression; favorable impression
the greater embraces the less; better too big than too small
Manchu-Han Imperial Feast; three-day feast of Chinese delicacies held during the Qing dynasty
(a) principle; (a) reason; (a) point; some truth
abundant; plentiful; rich; ample
malicious; ill-tempered; unkind; mean; nasty
to have sparkling eyes; to have shining eyes; to have a gleam in one's eyes
to hesitate to say; to mumble; to hem and haw; to falter
to be grateful; to feel grateful; to be thankful
the old days; the past; former times; the past ten years; the past decade
one's relationships; people one knows; circle of friends
shallow; superficial; slight (wound); light (sleep); short (time); early
warmly; cordially; with tender care