inquiry into; enquiry into; prying (into); investigation; search; exploration
casual; doing something without taking it too seriously
treating someone like a child
to chip (off); to shave off; to sharpen; to dampen (one's enthusiasm, interest, etc.); to reduce
to make an appointment; to make a reservation
the latter; the second; successor; descendant
dismissal (from a post); discharge; removal
crisis; critical situation; emergency; pinch
polite; respectful; reverent
sword (esp. a large, double-edged one); blade; bayonet; swordsmanship; stinger; ovipositor
collection of books; (personal) library
to protrude; to stick out; to be forced out; to be pushed out; to go over (e.g. a budget); to go beyond
large; large-sized; large-scale; big
implication; nuance; shade of meaning; connotation
to feel uplifted; to be cheered up; to hearten; to be inspired; to be energized
acceleration; speeding up
appropriation; misappropriation; making one's own
to meet fortuitously; to meet by chance; to happen across
happiness; well-being; joy; welfare; blessedness
sprinkling; dropping in small light bits
(wandering) minstrel; troubadour
to serve as a reference; to provide useful information; to be helpful; to be informative; to be instructive
to insert; to put in; to send in (to a prisoner; e.g. clothes, books); to deliver (food, refreshments, etc. to workers); to supply
to take down in notes (meeting minutes, etc.); to apply (concepts, ideas, etc. to specific processes or methods); to drop into something (e.g. a bag); to entice; to lure
shutout; shutting out; locking out; shutout; allowing no runs (goals, etc.)
to keep standing; to stand motionless
to come to one's senses; to calm down
extermination; elimination; renouncing worldly desires (in order to concentrate on Buddhist teachings); curing (an illness)
to take home; to carry home; to bring back home; to take out (e.g. food)
to state one's opinion; to offer one's opinion; to opine
making doubly sure; points scored for good measure; insurance run (in baseball)
continuation; continuance; maintenance; persistence; going on
headache inducing; vexing
carpenter's square; instigation; suggestion; metal wire with a prop animal (e.g. butterfly, bird) attached to the end; rod used to control the arm of a puppet (in bunraku)
dry taste (e.g. sake, wine); a liking for sake; one who likes sake; salty (taste); harsh; scathing
criticism; critique; review; commentary
to break the silence; to break one's silence
conversely; on the contrary