on the way home from school
mixed with; mingled with; interspersed with; dashed with; sprinkled with
to crack a joke; to tell a joke
as usual; as always; as ever; as before; still
to split finely; to splinter; to get frayed; to become irritable; to feel on edge
vector; direction (e.g. of one's activities or interests); focus
poor-looking; impoverished-looking; scrawny (e.g. figure); thin-looking; sparse (e.g. meal)
play equipment; playground equipment
user; end-user; consumer; patron; customer; client
turning round; going around; turning about; surrounding; encircling
early spring; beginning of spring; first month of the lunar calendar
bold; shameless; cheeky; brash; impudent
chance; stroke of luck; (curious) turn of events
rose-colour; rose-color; bright (e.g. life, future, prospects); cheerful; rosy
daikon (variety of large white Oriental radish, Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus); bad actor; lousy actor; wooden actor
chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus); domestic chicken; chicken meat
deep-frying food lightly coated in flour or potato starch; deep-fried food (esp. chicken)
garnish (e.g. vegetables with a meat dish); trimmings; fixings; relish
nori; laver; edible seaweed, usu. Porphyra yezoensis or P. tenera, usu. dried and pressed into sheets
preserved food boiled in sweetened soy sauce
umeboshi; pickled dried ume; pickled dried plum
to soak (in); to steep; to dip; to pickle; to preserve (in salt, vinegar, etc.)
chazuke; cooked rice with green tea poured on it; simple meal
putting on the market; putting on sale; making commercially available; commercial; off-the-shelf; store-bought
salt; salt content; amount of salt; salinity
excess; surplus; superabundance
somewhat below; slightly below
househusband; stay-at-home dad
bowl (ceramic, porcelain); counter for bowls of food or drink
to take in one's hand; to pick up; to obtain
dislike of very hot food or drink; inability to take hot food; (lit.) cat tongue
excess; surplus; superabundance; overabundance
to blow (on); to breathe (on); to pick (a fight); to provoke; to exaggerate; to ask (an unreasonable price)
to live up to (one's) expectations; to meet expectations
to break into a smile; to smile broadly; to beam
to gather; to crowd round; to sponge (off someone); to scrounge; to extort; to take (money) through intimidation
probability; likelihood; chances
zero; 0; nought; nothing; zilch
to swallow; to gulp down; to understand; to grasp; to engulf; to swallow up
for some reason or other; somehow; whatsitsname; what-you-call-it; and so on; and you know the rest
my; one's own; personal; privately owned
sweet (flavour); sweet (of alcohol); sweet (e.g. melody); pleasant (e.g. atmosphere); suite (in a hotel); suite
to press (one's body, cheek, etc.) against; to rub against; to snuggle (one's head, etc.) into
adult; mature; grown-up; sexy; erotic
slight intoxication; being tipsy; mellowness