to take back; to recapture
life story; personal narrative; story of one's life
deep down; special place in one's heart; in the back of one's mind
to laugh at; to ridicule; to mock; to make fun of; to sneer at
by all means; at any cost; whether (one is) willing or not; willingly or unwillingly; on no account; by no means
to pile up; to accumulate; to estimate
dregs; lees; grounds; pent-up feelings
old family; old-established family; one's old home; one's childhood home
ancient times; prehistoric times; the distant past; a very long time ago
peerage (in Japan; 1869-1947); nobility; aristocracy
tiger mom; tiger mum; mother who is overly obsessed with her children's academic performance
blade; sword; forged blade; wavy pattern on forged blades; sharpness; unhulled rice
to stick (into); to pierce; to enter at full speed; to hit (e.g. the catcher's mitt) at speed
(not) anything; (nothing) at all; and everything else; and all; (not) at all; (not) in the least
technical skill; ability; capacity
to pour (into); to sprinkle on (from above); to water (e.g. plants); to shed (tears); to concentrate one's energy (strength, attention, etc.) on; to devote to; to flow into (e.g. of a river)
strict; severe; stern; rigid; rigorous; tough
(home) tutor; private tutor; private teacher
capable person; talented person; human resources; personnel
change; alternation; rotation; replacement; substitution; shift
parent; parents; dealer; banker; founder; inventor; (pet) owner
(editorial) supervision; general editorship; supervising director
carrot and stick; (lit.) candy and whip
to tame (an animal); to domesticate
as one likes; as one wants; as one wishes; as one hopes; as one sees fit; to one's satisfaction
self-confidence; confidence (in oneself)
to boast of; to be proud of; to take pride in
funny; comical; humorous; ridiculous; silly; absurd
comical (story, song); comic; the comedy business (rakugo, manzai, etc.); something laughable
even though; despite; when
by chance; by accident; accidentally; occasionally; once in a while; now and then
whim; caprice; fancy; capricious; fickle; whimsical
the body; the flesh; the outer man; one's physique
to shun; to avoid; to ostracize; to neglect; to distance oneself from; to give the hard shoulder
it's worth it; worth every penny; deserving; worthwhile
reconstruction; rebuilding; restructuring
expectation; anticipation; hope; promising; rising; up-and-coming
that gentleman; that lady; he; she
to smash; to break (into pieces); to shatter; to simplify; to make easy to understand