self-satisfaction; (self-)complacency; smugness
to take (a person) unawares; to make a surprise attack
one person; being alone; being by oneself; being single; being unmarried; by oneself
stew (esp. Japanese cream stew)
preliminary arrangements; preparation; spadework; pre-cooking
(turning) round and round; in circles; wrapping around; winding around
thickly (of whipped eggs, cream, etc.; such that it leaves a trail or forms soft peaks); stickily; becoming thick and foamy (of soap suds); sluggishly; slowly; heavily
stickiness; viscosity; tenacity; persistence
criterion; standard; yardstick; rough estimate; approximation
gloss; luster; mellowness (of a voice); youthfulness (e.g. of skin); interest; appeal
to mix; to stir; to scramble; to churn
intonation; accent; modulation; inflection
please enjoy (the food); dig in; bon appétit
to adorn; to decorate; to dress up; to build up
to stop (in one's tracks); to come to a stop; to halt; to pause; to stand still
chewing; mastication; digestion (e.g. of words); assimilation; comprehension
half-cooked; half-done; soft-boiled; half-ripe; unripe
(feeling of) identification; sense of unity
attentively; with great attention to detail (e.g. when teaching); patiently
baptism; christening; initiation (into a society, group, etc.); baptism; one's first experience of something; baptism (by fire, etc.)
irrefutable evidence; smoking gun; solid evidence; incontestable proof; dead giveaway
to insist on one's own ideas; to have one's own way
at the critical moment; when the time comes; when it's most important; when necessary; in an emergency; when push comes to shove
retailing; repeating (someone else's words, opinion, etc.); parroting; echoing
to have something on one's mind; to have (undisclosed) reservations; to feel conflicted
reduction by half; halving
sympathy; empathy; response; identification (with someone)
pish; pooh; I see; oh; indeed
yes; sure; gotcha; sycophantically; servilely; fawningly
to be caught in; to be stuck in; to stop by; to drop in for a short visit; to get mixed up in (trouble); to get entangled in (a problem); to fall for (a trick)
with a clap-clap (e.g. of wooden clappers); (touching) lightly and repeatedly; (something small hopping) repeatedly; punctuation marks such as the dakuten
teacher (to whom one owes a debt of gratitude); mentor; one's former teacher
while; although; (but) on the other hand; at the same time; opposite side; other side
sloppy; slovenly; slipshod; negligent; loose; unkempt
(treating) equally; without discrimination; impartially; alike; in the same way
student (esp. a university student)