to start; to begin; to challenge; to pick (a fight); to set (traps); to plant (explosives)
concern; circumstance which is becoming a problem; case (court)
pity; sorrow; pitiable; pitiful; alack; alas
victim; injured party; sufferer
protagonist; main character; hero(ine) (of a story); head of household
to be dented; to be indented; to be beaten; to be overwhelmed; to be disheartened; to feel down
grace (of God); benevolence (of Buddha); assistance; help; effects; influence
unusual power; superpower; ability beyond that of humans
(not) so; (not) particularly; (not) very; (not) that much
training; education; stocking up; laying in; preparation (e.g. ingredients); girl studying to become a geisha
to weigh on one's mind; to bother one; to be interested (in); to be curious (about); to feel like (doing); to feel inclined to
honestly speaking; in truth; in all honesty; to be frank
depressed; bummed out; down; heavy-hearted; heavy-spirited; feeling reluctant (to do)
lie; falsehood; fiction; fabrication
interference; intervention; meddling
affair; state; verdict; sentence; directions; orders
dog (Canis (lupus) familiaris); squealer; rat; loser; asshole; counterfeit
to be called ...; to be referred to as ...
preface; introduction; lead in (to a joke, question, etc.); lead up; payment in advance (by bank transfer); swinging (one's body) forward
story; tale; narrative; account; fable; legend
ingredient; (raw) material; unprocessed timber; raw timber; subject matter; topic
forever; endlessly; on and on; meandering; wandering; winding
to get tired of; to lose interest in; to be fed up with; to have enough
to come from; to have roots in
armed might; military power; the sword; force
particularly; only; in the case of
to give (time, money, goods); to donate; to do; to perform; to apply (processing, makeup, etc.); to add (e.g. ornamentation, annotation)
contortion; distortion; warp; kink (in one's character); twist
approximately; about; only; nothing but; just (finished, etc.)
drawing; picture; diagram; sight; scene
to betray; to turn traitor to; to double-cross
to step on a landmine; to really step in it; to screw up; to open up a can of worms
stipulation; stating clearly; documenting in writing; stating explicitly
difficult to ...; hard to ...
kindness; favor; favour; goodwill; affection; liking (for someone)
make one wrong move and...; take one wrong step and...
being resented (by someone one holds resentment towards); thinking ill of a person based on a misunderstanding; unjustified resentment caused by a misunderstanding; responding to kindness with resentment
favorable; favourable; friendly; vividly colored; vividly coloured
as expected (positive events); as hoped for
reversal; return; return gift; return favour (favor); barb (on a fishing hook); mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin
cannot (due to external circumstances); cannot afford to; must not; impossible to; no way one can (do)
check; restraint; oppression; suppression