malicious; deliberately mean
bad reputation; poor reception; unpopularity; disrepute
one's favourite party trick (favorite); one's specialty; No. 18; eighteenth; repertoire of 18 kabuki plays
loser; failure; underdog; unmarried and childless older woman
inscription; epitaph; epigraph
many; a lot of; a great number of; numerous
stool (stood on to reach high objects); small stepladder; (fig.) stepping stone
growth; development; one's early life; upbringing; personal history
plump; fleshy; well-rounded; pleasant (fragrance); rich
top of ...; head of ...; the moment that ...
private affairs; personal matter
dust; mine dust; mineral dust; airborne particles; fine powder; particulate matter
to brush off; to shake off
improved version; variant (of a pathogen)
youngster; neophyte; greenhorn
to be matched against (in a sports contest)
representation; agency; proxy; proxy; agent; representative
diaper; nappy; (arch.) swaddling clothes; (arch.) loincloth
(reciprocal) communication; (coming to a) mutual understanding
claw sharpening; scratching post (for cats); claw sharpener
to become sulky; to become irresponsible (due to disgruntlement)
to care for someone; to look after someone
to stop crying; to cry oneself out
expressing one's feelings; communicating one's intention; declaration of intent
tightly; closely; exactly; precisely; suddenly (stopping)
to exchange; to swap; to barter; to replace; to substitute
nobleman's illegitimate child
possible; conceivable; likely; probable
delicate; minute; fine; detailed; subtle
to permeate (of a stain, smell, etc.); to become ingrained; to become embedded; to become a deeply ingrained habit; to become second nature
to strain (e.g. one's nerves); to be on edge; to be tense (of an atmosphere); to cover completely (e.g. with tiles, ice, etc.); to spread over; to become covered (in)
to lie down (and sleep); to go to bed (with an illness)
there's no other way; there are no other options; there are no alternative means
certainly; absolutely; (not even) a little bit; diligently; dreams
small stream; brooklet; murmuring (as of a stream)