foreseeing; anticipating; lookahead; prefetching; reading ahead
weak point; weakness; shortcoming; defect; flaw; sore spot
opening (in a game of go, chess, etc.); early stages; initial phase; outset
coming to a head; coming to the surface; becoming an issue; breaking
training; education; stocking up; laying in; preparation (e.g. ingredients); girl studying to become a geisha
support; backing; aid; assistance
to become blunt; to grow dull; to become less capable; to weaken; to falter
to use (a tool, method, etc.); to make use of; to use (a person, animal, puppet, etc.); to employ; to use (time, money, etc.); to spend
to push back; to press back; to force back
gunfight; exchange of shots; firefight
to have no chance (of succeeding)
deadlock; standstill; stalemate; impasse; standoff
affection; love; fondness; tenderness
being out of time; passing the deadline; time-out
(one's) gaze; line of sight; point of view; standpoint; line covering someone's eyes (to obscure their identity); eye censor bar
to cross over; to cross; to pass through; to exceed; to surpass; to be more (than)
stoppage; coming to a stop; ceasing (movement, activity, etc.); suspension (of operations); suspension (of payment, a licence, etc.); (temporary) prohibition
to reach an extreme; to reach a limit; extremely; to be stuck; to be in a dilemma; to be decided
to be mixed together; to be blended; to intermingle; to commingle
Buddhist temple; religious building; church; cathedral
to stretch around (e.g. a fence, dragnet, etc.); to lay out (e.g. a wiring system, network, etc.); to string up (e.g. an antenna, ship's rigging, etc.)
sudden drop; sharp fall; nosedive; swoop
counter for large animals (e.g. head of cattle); counter for insects in a collection; counter for helmets, masks, etc.
to push back; to press back; to force back; to (refuse and) return (something); to give back
to catch off guard; to catch unprepared
to spend time (on doing something)
gaining time; stalling for time; time-buying
decisive blow; game-winning hit (e.g. in baseball)
putting together (e.g. opinions); gathering; collecting; aggregating; summarizing; integrating
to knead; to thicken into a paste (stirring over a flame); to polish (a plan, etc.); to refine; to train; to drill; to gloss (silk)
to change; to alter; to run counter to; to go against; to make a mistake (in); to err
atmosphere; air; magnanimous; generous; large-hearted
to (make something) quiver; to shake; to tremble; to vibrate
decisive moment; turning point; critical moment; win-or-bust situation
increasingly; more and more; decreasingly (when declining); less and less
bravery; valor; valour; military prowess
similar but different; alike only in appearance; falsely similar; spurious; sham; pseudo-