Vocabulary

strong-minded; strong-willed; having great willpower

(reciprocal) communication; (coming to a) mutual understanding

the frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean

sink or swim; all or nothing; hit or miss; make or break

someone (important); person of importance

easily (beaten, destroyed, etc.); without difficulty; helplessly; without the least resistance

consistently

to compose a poem (esp. haiku)

a word or two

immediately; as soon as possible; as quickly as possible

every moment is precious; time is money; precious time

to do together

to laugh (something) off; to dismiss with a laugh; to pooh-pooh

every one (of them); (one and) all; without exception; to a man; to the last person

to come of age; to become an adult; to become fully qualified; to stand on one's own

per person; per capita; per head

per person

empty dream

prime of life; noontide of life

ahead (of); before; slightly earlier

particular party or faction

one-horse (carriage)

right away; without waiting around

slight superiority (in knowledge, experience, ability, etc.)

to pitch in and help; to give someone a hand

to hit (someone) once; to give (someone) a punch

most numerous

it's good to have a girl first and then a boy

unusually; greatly; immensely; exceedingly

to give someone a surprise; to catch off guard and fluster; to frustrate (e.g. someone's plans); to give someone a blow; to scare the hell out of

to be inferior to; to be outdone; to compare unfavourably with

to pull the trigger; to squeeze the trigger

on the contrary

from right to left; in one ear and out the other

always contradicting what other people say; always taking the opposite stance

No Right Turn

quick bath; hurried bath

glossy black (hair); color of a crow with wet feathers

disorderly crowd; mob; rabble

to be reduced to ashes