simulation; simulation (of a foul); diving; flopping
various countries; various regions; various provinces
to challenge (esp. in a lawsuit); to take on an opponent (in negotiations, contest, etc.)
seat; location (of a gathering, etc.); place; position; post
to mow down; to cut down; to knock down; to defeat; to beat
surrounding environment; ambient surrounding; one's surroundings
Manchu-Han Imperial Feast; three-day feast of Chinese delicacies held during the Qing dynasty
having one's choice; (ability to) pick and choose
eating everything (on one's plate, etc.)
serving (of food); helping; chilled soba served on a dish (often on a wicker basket or in a shallow steaming basket) with dipping sauce
to be boiled; to be cooked
strawberry (esp. the garden strawberry, Fragaria x ananassa)
general public; the masses
difficult to imagine; quite unlikely to; very doubtful; would not expect
subject; theme; homework; assignment; task; challenge
to lean (to one side); to incline; to be unbalanced (e.g. diet); to be unduly weighted towards; to be partial; to be biased
to prove successful; to take hold; to amount to something
ascent; uphill; upward slope; (gradual) upturn; increase
there being no use in arguing (about it)
foreign country; other country; another province; strange land; alien land
middle stage; middle phase; middle game; midfield
inseparable (esp. bond, relationship); inextricable; joined at the hip; integral; essential; cannot be broken (cut, separated)
to pull up; to drag up; to increase; to raise (e.g. taxes); to withdraw; to leave; to promote (someone to a higher position)
to have been decided (so) that; to have been arranged (so) that; to be the result (of); to be the outcome; to be the reason (for)
several men, several minds; everyone has his own ideas and tastes; everyone has his own interests and ideas; different strokes for different folks
wearisome; insipid; dull; irksome; wretched; vain
cancellation; withdrawal; asking to be excused; begging off; not taking
whole book (volume); complete episode
being very busy; busyness
fixed phrase; canned phrase; standard wording; template; boilerplate
protagonist; main character; hero(ine) (of a story); head of household
to poke fun at; to make fun of; to send up
towards (a destination); for the purpose of; with the goal of; targeting (a group, a demographic)
to send; to dispatch; to despatch; to bestow (favour, etc.); to grant (e.g. pardon)
to make a display of one's originality (eccentricity); to deliberately act oddly (e.g. to get attention)
enumeration; citation; listing
beginning; start; first (in line, etc.); origin; such as ...; not to mention ...