sound; sure; safe; steady; firm
fresh wound; fresh bruise
with a clash; with a thud; unexpectedly (meeting someone); suddenly (ending); abruptly (coming to a halt)
skillful; clever; versatile; handy
brink of death; time to give up; knowing when to give up
protracted war; war of attrition
stamina; energy; stamina-boosting (esp. of meat dishes containing raw egg yolks, garlic, Chinese chives, etc.)
laughable; ridiculous; pitiful; contemptible; absurd; nonsensical
to torment; to harass; to tease; to extort; to shake down; to demand money
(breaking) with a snap (of a thread, rope, etc.); (ending) suddenly (of a call, communications, etc.); breaking out (of a pimple, swelling, etc.)
one step higher; one better; cut above; one up
to pilfer; to filch; to swipe
spine; backbone; spinal column
mackerel (esp. the chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus); server (esp. in an online game)
opportunity; chance; folding; fold; small food box (wooden or cardboard); folding in ... (two, three, etc.); counter for folded items
to be inferior to; to be less good at; to fall behind
to make (the best) use of; to put to good use; to leverage (skills, attributes, experience, etc.); to restore (a deleted passage; in proofreading)
prospects of victory; chances of success
oh, OK; oh, I see; oh, yeah?; hmm
unexpectedly; surprisingly
bold move (in sumo, judo, etc.); daring move; powerful technique
crossed line; crossing of wires; crosstalk; getting mixed up (of different topics in a conversation); confusion; (talking at) cross-purposes
tea-ceremony procedures; skill at serving tea
another family; another house
(cannot) possibly; (not) by any means; (not) at all; utterly; absolutely
it's probably so; it stands to reason
(breaking) with a snap (of a thread, rope, etc.); (stopping) suddenly (of communications, a practice, etc.); abruptly; completely
having no way of knowing; being completely ignorant of
after this; henceforth; henceforward; from now on
to make muddy (of a liquid); to make cloudy; to make turbid; to make ambiguous; to evade (e.g. the point); to be noncommittal about
short-distance race; sprint
to pity; to feel sympathy for; to sympathize with; to sympathise with; to commiserate with; to have mercy on
femoral muscle; thigh muscle
well-known; famous; noted; popular; recognized
to (be able to) make contact; to (be able to) get in touch
to get angry; to take offense; to take offence; to be furious