reduction by half; halving
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
tofu; bean curd; beancurd
seeing the light; being awakened to the truth; having the scales fall from one's eyes
destination; place one stays during a trip
a little; a bit; just a minute; for a moment; somewhat; rather
to make (the best) use of; to put to good use; to leverage (skills, attributes, experience, etc.); to restore (a deleted passage; in proofreading)
awesome; amazing; incredible; a lot; absolutely
no matter (what, who, etc.); whether ... or ...; be
to start pestering (someone); to pick a fight (with); to start giving (someone) a hard time
indoor dog; dog kept indoors; house dog
to mellow (e.g. personality); to be rounded; to huddle; to cower
nowhere in particular; just out for a bit; (euph. for) toilet break
reversal; return; return gift; return favour; barb (on a fishing hook); mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin
toning down; calming down; slowing down; mollification
young child; toddler; child over 1 but not yet of school age
several times; once or twice
not counted (in the score); not tallied
hungrily; voraciously; ravenously; greedily; avariciously; eagerly
fragile; brittle; delicate; sensitive
to have one's teeth set on edge; to become annoyed; to get loose teeth
someone working behind-the-scenes; scene shifter; lady consort (to a high personage)
to put on the brakes; to put a stop to
to boil (something in hot water); to treat with medicinal steam (a swelling, etc.)
bundle; package; parcel; counter for wrapped objects
traveller; traveler; wayfarer; tourist
one after another; continuously; incessantly; in succession; by turns
prosperity; flourishing; thriving
small profits and quick returns
average per-customer spending; average sales per customer
takeout (food); take-out; takeaway; carry-out
initial costs; up-front costs; front-end costs; start-up costs
enemy camp; enemy line; last 3 rows of the board
intention; aim; preference (for); orientation (towards a goal)
state of (mental) confusion (agitation)
to blame; to find fault with
lack of common sense; thoughtlessness; senselessness; irrationality; absurdity
fault; flaw; weak point; shortcoming
straw bag; sack; bale; counter for sacks (of rice, potatoes, coal, etc.)
ending; conclusion; join; union; knot; knotting