praying mantis (esp. the narrow-winged mantis, Tenodera angustipennis)
sickle; leading question; trick question; sickle-and-chain (weapon); spear with curved cross-blades; gooseneck tenon and mortise joint; (arch.) noisiness
disintegration; self-destruction
to pick out; to single out; to select; to extract; to draw out; to pull out
sweet words; smooth talk; cajolery; flattery; sycophancy
to yield; to give in; to bend (knee, etc.); to subdue; to overpower; (arch.) to feel down
feeling good; feeling at ease; feeling easy
stagnation; standstill; accumulation; stay; sojourn
flat; even; level; plain (language, words, etc.); simple
copying in entirety (verbatim)
groping (for); fumbling around (for); searching (for an answer, solution, etc.); trying to find
planning; devising (a plan); drafting; drawing up
certainly; surely; definitely
spitting image; dead ringer; exact resemblance
go on!; right!; here goes!
good at storytelling; good at telling (funny) stories; having the gift of gab
to trip (over); to stumble; to fail; to suffer a setback
honorific; term of respect; polite expression; honorific language
to stop crying; to cry oneself out
revival; restoration; resuscitation
easy to do; apt to do; prone to do; liable to do
to be one's ruin; to do harm; to cause trouble; to have negative consequences; to bring about a bad outcome
local (rain, distribution, outbreak, etc.); localized; regional; isolated
time limit; time restriction
to become weak; to decline; to wear; to abate; to decay; to wither
compensation; reparation; price (of achieving a goal); cost; paying compensation on someone's behalf; compensation
to stop; to cease; to come to an end; to cut off
disturbance; riot; mayhem
peremptorily; willy-nilly; forcibly
person who died for a cause; guinea pig (for a new product or service); test subject; hitobashira; ritual human sacrifice by burying a living person under or near a large-scale construction project to invoke divine protection
to die out; to peter out; to become extinct; to cease; to be stopped; to be discontinued
to use; to make use of; to utilize; to utilise
to try; to attempt; to have a go (at)
to tide over a difficult situation; to use a stopgap measure in a crisis
important task; important duty; important mission; heavy responsibility
pump-priming; rousing; stimulation
how many people; a number of people
to put together; to combine; to join together; to match against (e.g. in a sport)
reduction; curtailment; cut; cutback; scaling down; contraction
military family; warrior class