easy; trifling; harmless; nothing of the sort; not at all
to bend by twisting; to twist; to contort; to distort (e.g. the truth); to twist (e.g. someone's words)
influential person; man of importance
to surround; to encircle; to enclose; to fawn over (someone); to play up to; to curry favor with
social environment; social conditions
to be too numerous; to be too much
hah (derisively); pooh; pfft (of something disappearing); poof; huff; puff
futility; waste; uselessness; pointlessness; idleness
ignoring; disregarding; taking no notice of; refusing to comment on; turning a deaf ear to
slip; omission; upshot; denouement; punch line (of a joke)
swiftly; rapidly; suddenly; abruptly; sharply (of a slope, bend, etc.); steeply
to glare; to dazzle; to glitter
to give oneself to (esp. of a woman to a man); to surrender oneself to
(volcanic) crater; caldera; burner (of a boiler)
miasma ("bad air" formerly believed to cause disease)
poisonous; venomous; hateful; detestable; gaudy; garish
to lend an ear to; to listen to
misunderstanding; misapprehension; misconception; false impression; wrong idea
via; through; by doing; by means of; using
to commit (e.g. crime); to perpetrate; to break (e.g. rule); to violate; to rape; to violate
to do whatever it takes; to use every trick in the book; to use any means; to stop at nothing
to shake and untangle; to shake free from
to struggle; to writhe; to wriggle; to act frantically; to make desperate efforts
evil spirit (that possesses someone); demon; devil
12th day of the month; 12 days
long-established; old-established; traditional
ryotei; traditional Japanese restaurant (esp. a luxurious one)
private talk; confidential talk; secret talk
in that manner; like that
to press alcohol on someone; to urge someone to drink; to offer alcohol to someone
to become blunt; to grow dull; to become less capable; to weaken; to falter
a particular; a certain; that kind of; such a
tightly; tautly; (springing, straightening) up; suddenly; intuitively; instinctively
accomplice; conspirator; cohort
conspiracy; collusion; complicity
verbal gaffe; verbal slip; slip of the tongue; using improper words
achievement; feat; meritorious deed; distinguished service
appetizer; starter; hors d'oeuvre