failed attempt (at a crime, suicide, etc.)
rather; better; instead; if anything
unhappiness; sorrow; misfortune; death (usu. of a relative); bereavement
showy; loud; flashy; gaudy
(in) secrecy; behind closed doors
to slip down; to slide down; to glide down
to untie; to unfasten; to unsew; to unstitch; to solve; to work out; to dispel (misunderstanding, etc.)
diplomatic card; diplomatic weapon; bargaining chip; diplomatic leverage
even a little; any at all; if only a little; no matter how little
circumstances; sequence of events; how things got this way; details; particulars
spurious article; forgery; counterfeit; imitation; sham
until something reaches the very limit; until the very last minute; up to the breaking point
mastery; skillfulness; dexterity; master hand; expert
to prick; to stab; to poke; to prod; to use (a cane); to prop oneself up with
won't; hasn't; isn't; won't you
period of time (usu. a period of approx. two hours corresponding to one of the signs of the Chinese zodiac); carving; engraving; victory; strictness; cruelty
internal conditions; true state of affairs
assumption; supposition; hypothesis; supposition
to hold back (e.g. emotions); to rein in (e.g. a horse, unruly people); to get the better of; to control; to command
irregular; bad bounce (in tennis); bad hop (in baseball)
to make (someone) understand (a fault, mistake, etc.); to reason with; to advise; to try to persuade; to exhort; to admonish
complex; complicated; intricate; mixed (feelings)
at this point; at this last moment; this late in the game
essentially nonexistent; virtually nil
to carry off; to run away with; to sweep away; to take entirely for oneself; to monopolize
to finish off; to ensure (something) is dead; to put an end to; to deliver the final blow; to be the best for A
does not seem; unlikely; improbable
for example; for instance; e.g.
official; governmental; public (use, matter, forum, etc.); common; being public knowledge; being out in the open
privacy; secrecy; confidentiality
extent; degree; limit; bounds; (span of) time; (a) distance; the state of
occurrence; happening; incident; event
being lost for words; becoming speechless; jueju (Chinese quatrain with lines of either five or seven syllables)
shivering; trembling; shuddering; shaking
poisonous substance; toxic substance; poison
surgery (branch of medicine); department of surgery