imitation; copy; make-believe; doing something in a way that only superficially resembles the real thing
stool (stood on to reach high objects); small stepladder; (fig.) stepping stone
enterprising man; businessman; industrialist
to leave nothing undone; to give good service; to attend to everything; to be on someone's tracks (e.g. police); to catch up with; to close in on
well connected; well known; having a large, diverse circle of acquaintances
indies; independent film, music, publishing, etc.
word of mouth; comments written online (about a product, service, etc.); online reviews
to build a market for; to promote (a product); to promote oneself; to sell oneself; to sell heavily
a little; some; somewhat; amount; quantity; number
hum; hmm; hm hm (light chuckle with mouth closed); uh-huh; mm; hmm
to talk down; to corner someone in an argument
only; merely; just; at most; no more than
meagre; meager; scarce; limited; destitute; hard up
root (of a plant); stump (of a tree); root (of a problem, etc.); base
expert; professional; master; woman in the nightlife business; demimondaine; geisha and prostitutes
(mind and) spirit; life energy; vitality; essence
rehearsal; rehabilitation
to pound (e.g. heart); to pulse (e.g. vein); to pulsate
to rise (steeply); to tower; to soar
glaring at each other; confrontation; standoff; face-off
to run about; to rush about
to hew; to chop up; to mangle; to mince
to knock down; to beat (someone) up; to injure (someone) so badly they cannot recover (esp. emotionally); to overwhelm (with mental anguish, etc.)
just past noon; afternoon
rude; outspoken; presumptuous; cheeky
to burn; to scorch; to singe; to char
outdoor concert hall; band shell; bandstand
ratio; proportion; match; equal; explicit comparison (style of the Shi Jing); Philippines
outdoor concert hall; band shell; bandstand
sacred place; holy ground; the Holy Land; real-life location used as a setting in a novel, film, anime, etc.
weekend; Saturday and Sunday