certificate; credentials; testimonial
learning by ear; memory of having heard something before
hogging; having all to oneself; monopolising; monopolizing
focusing (of light); convergence; gathering and bundling
grain thief; sharpened tube for testing rice in bags; sashimi (sliced raw fish); stabbing; piercing
to be petrified; to be unable to move; to be paralyzed (with horror); to be stupefied (with amazement)
to rub; to pat; to stroke; to massage
jewel; precious stone; gem
broken; interrupted; disconnected; intermittent; fragmentary; discontinuous
to blow violently; to sweep over; to devastate
to stand still (for a while); to remain in one place; to stand alone (of a building, statue, tree, etc.); to stand quietly; to wander about; to loiter
robot; (mere) puppet; pawn; figurehead
to suffer; to receive (kindness, rebuke, support); to sustain (damage)
when it comes to; concerning (an area of expertise)
near one's knee; (by) one's side; (at) one's hand; place under the protection (of one's parents, etc.); (under) the care (of); territory of a powerful person
sword (esp. Japanese single-edged); katana; scalpel; chisel; burin; knife money (knife-shaped commodity money used in ancient China)
to make an appeal; to urge
gale; strong wind; swift wind; fresh breeze (Beaufort scale)
to jostle; to crowd; to haggle
big frame; large figure; huge body
always; forever; very; greatly (esp. of hopes and desires)
life and death; life or death; samsara (cycle of death and rebirth); death
judging from; on the basis of; from the point of view of
unavoidable; inevitable; beyond one's control
innermost feelings; heart; motive; nature; disposition; spirit
gaining time; stalling for time; time-buying
to gain time; to play for time; to buy time
thereupon; shortly thereafter
bursting; rupture; explosion; breakdown (of talks, negotiations, etc.); breaking off
long sword (as opposed to the shorter katana); tachi; sabre-like sword worn on the hip with the blade facing down
one swing; one shake (e.g. of pepper); one sword
to mow down; to cut down; to slash (horizontally); to make a clean sweep; to sweep away; to brush away
sharply; harshly; stingingly
country in civil war; country disarrayed by war; Warring States period (Japan, China); competition in which there are several evenly matched participants; hotly contested game (match, market, etc.)
shoulder pad; shoulder reinforcement; epaulet; cloak worn in bed
elder brother; big brother; one's senior; one's elder; old ingredients; stale ingredients
brothers and sisters; siblings; half-siblings; step-siblings; mate; friend
hair dyed brown; brown-dyed hair