library; book storage; stack room; archive (file)
floor; stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player); dining platform built across a river
to spread (out); to extend; to stretch; to reach to; to get around; to fill (e.g. a space)
to wriggle; to writhe; to squirm; to scrawl
poor-quality; shoddy; unskillful; inexpert; unlucky
letter (of an alphabet); character; writing
only; merely; approximately; about; just (finished, etc.); as if to; (as though) about to
daughter; girl (i.e. a young, unmarried woman)
workmanship; craftsmanship; grades; results; quality (e.g. of a crop); dealings
recognition; awareness; perception; understanding; knowledge; cognition
father; dad; husband; you (of an elderly person older than the speaker); he
thesis; essay; treatise; paper; article
adjustment; tweaking; improvement; modification; tinkering; minor alteration
... years old; age (of) ...
to be full; to wax (e.g. moon); to rise (e.g. tide); to mature; to expire
masterpiece; masterwork; crowning work; one's magnum opus; work of the highest quality
to find fault (with); to cavil (at); to carp (about); to throw a wet blanket (on); to throw cold water (on); to jinx
to harden; to freeze; to put together; to collect; to make secure; to stabilize; to fortify
intimidation; threat; bluster
low (rank, degree, value, content, quality, etc.); low (position); close to the ground; short (height); deep (voice); in a low key
to speak; to say; to vocalize
woman; female; female lover; girlfriend; mistress
mistress; kept woman; concubine
to give birth; to bear (child); to lay (eggs); to produce; to yield; to give rise to
to live; to reside; to inhabit
appearance (in the eyes of society); decency
to mind (negative nuance); to care about; to worry; to pay undue (amount of) attention to (something)
to be due to; to be caused by; to depend on; to turn on; to be based on; to come from
complete stranger; total stranger
no more than; just; only; mere; goes no further than
pride; dignity; self-worth
formation; molding; making (up); repair (e.g. with plastic surgery); replacement; -plasty
one part; one portion; one section; one copy (of a book); (one) complete set (of books)
anger; rage; fury; wrath; indignation
subtleties; niceties; fine points; subtle; sensitive
to read and understand; to take in; to sense from external cues; to read (someone's) mind; to read (calibration, tape, etc.); to scan (bar code)
to ripen; to mature; to be ready for action; to be the right time (to act); to be in common use; to come to sound natural
to draw (conclusion); to deduce; to derive