starting line (in a race); start line; starting point
person who is socially ostracized (e.g. an ex-convict, mistress, illegitimate child); social outcast; person with a shady past; obscure person; person who lives in obscurity; person who has been forgotten by the world
most ominous; most sinister; most atrocious; most evil
endless; boundless; innumerable; endless; never-ending; going on forever
discarding; throwing away; getting rid of; dismissal (of an employee); firing; sacking
suffering (as a result of maltreatment)
hell on earth; living hell
to limp; to drag one's feet
mother's side of family; maternal (grandfather, uncle, etc.)
Kyoto and vicinity (esp. during Edo period); Kyoto-Osaka region; Kansai region
tree sparrow (Passer montanus); talkative person; knowledgeable person
issue; offspring; paternal blood
to ruin one's reputation in later life; to tarnish one's twilight years
bad-mouthing someone so as to be deliberately overheard; intentionally letting someone hear insults or sarcasm regarding them
to prove successful; to take hold; to amount to something
term; terminology; wording; choice of words; phraseology
euphemistic; circumlocutory; periphrastic; roundabout; indirect
trying out a new sword or blade (originally on someone, but now on soaked straw targets)
breeding; raising; rearing; keeping
brood; stud; stock; breeding
frequency; number of times; incidence; degree (e.g. temperature); strength (e.g. alcohol, lens, etc.)
human rights; civil liberties
to say goodbye; to bid farewell
self-determination; suicide
the more I think about it; the more one thinks about it
to get deeper in debt; to pile up debts
Japanese children's game; preliminary test to eliminate weak contenders
beyond human understanding
and so; therefore; for that reason
not worth doing; waste of effort
... the heck (e.g. "what the heck?"); ... in the world (e.g. "why in the world?"); ... on earth (e.g. "who on earth?")
to be full of pride; to be boastful
deadlock; stalemate; standstill; hopeless position; lost game; zugzwang
examination paper; examination script; answer sheet; answer (to an exam question)
blue; azure; green; pale (facial color); gray; unripe
in name only; titular; nominal
conformity; compatibility; adaptability; congruity; congruence
although at this late hour; now, although it is too late; afresh; anew; again
it can't be helped; there is no choice; inevitable; unavoidable
to have the personal support of (an influential person); to be under the patronage of
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)