rise of the curtain; opening of a play; beginning (e.g. of an era); start; opening (of a tournament, festival, etc.)
to be clearly ahead of the competition; to stand out noticeably above one's rivals; to stand out from the crowd
favorite (top choice) for the championship (favourite); best bet for the title
to gather (attract, receive) attention; to have a high profile; to gain prominence; to become popular
where; what place; how much (long, far); what extent
speaking voice; talking voice
near; neighbourhood; nearly (e.g. "it took nearly one year"); close to; shortly; soon
to wring (towel, rag); to squeeze; to squeeze (fruit to extract juice); to press; to rack (one's brains); to strain (one's voice); to extort
worthy of special mention
mediocre; ordinary; commonplace; banal
to form; to make; to build up (e.g. a fortune); to create; to accomplish; to achieve; to change (into)
to boil; to seethe; to roil (e.g. waterfall, torrent); to foam; to well up (of emotions); to overflow (e.g. fighting spirit)
chest; breast; breasts; bosom; heart; lungs; stomach
ice; shaved ice (usually served with flavored simple syrup)
difference in temperature; difference in degrees of enthusiasm (interest, commitment, etc.); difference in attitude
to warp; to bend; to contort; to be perverted; to be warped (of a view, mind, etc.); to be distorted
solid; robust; tight; taut; shrewd; calculating
(confronting a problem, etc.) head-on; directly; outright; (lit.) from the front
development; evolution; expansion; spreading out; expansion (of an algebraic expression); development (of a three-dimensional shape); extraction (of compressed data)
raising the curtain; opening (of an event); start; beginning
that's the way it is; such is life
there is no way that ...; easy; simple
king; monarch; ruler; champion
willingly; voluntarily; of one's own accord
moving first; person with the first move; forestalling; (seizing the) initiative; sente; move that forces a response from the opponent, allowing the player to retain the initiative
killing a would-be avenger; having the tables turned on someone (e.g. by a challenger); being beaten at one's own game
gap; opening; break; interval; unguarded moment; carelessness
back; rear; background; behind the scenes
interval; break; rift (in clouds)
to pierce; to stab; to sting; to bite; to sew; to stitch; to pole (a boat)
ray (of light); beam; light
to close one's eyes partly; to squint; to smile with one's whole face; to smile sweetly (at); to look fondly (at)
even if; even though; even; too; whether ... or ...; no matter (what, where, who, etc.)
overhead; above one's head; high in the sky
to manufacture; to produce; to raise (crops); to invent; to dream up; to create
misrecognition; mistaking (x for y)
to be late; to be delayed; to fall behind (in a race, one's studies, etc.); to lag behind; to be bereaved of; to be preceded by (someone) in death
flames produced by an explosion; explosive flames
heat; fever; temperature; zeal; passion
to cross over; to cross; to pass through; to exceed; to surpass; to be more (than)
I'm home!; I'm back!; now; at present; just now; a moment ago
(suffering) damage; injury; harm
to bring (news, knowledge, etc.); to introduce; to bring about; to cause; to produce (e.g. results)
defense; defence; safeguard; protection