Vocabulary

first and foremost; above all; most importantly of all

no matter what anyone says; regardless of what is said

everyone has a past; every person has their own history

hard-to-overcome obstacle; high hurdle; thick wall

to ask for too much; to expect too much

gotcha; got you

natural; understandable; reasonable; no wonder

Koch's postulates; Koch's laws

full of energy; full of liveliness; full of pep

to feign illness

to suffer mentally; to be in emotional pain

mental illness; emotional disorder

mental illness; emotional disorder

ungenerous; poor in spirit; with no great feelings

insipid; flat; dull; lifeless; listless

to eke out a living; to get a bare livelihood; to live from hand to mouth

to pull over one's eyes (e.g. hat); to wear pulled down over one's eyes

to win one's first battle (game, match)

to be lured; to be tempted; to go along with someone's suggestion; to be talked into doing

good fences make good neighbors; a hedge between keeps friendship green

as; because; with; due to

to roll up one's sleeves and get to work; to buckle down

by force of circumstance; in the circumstances; given the circumstances

rare; uncommon; not often seen

with no effort at all; easily

Charter Oath (of the Meiji Emperor); Five-Point Imperial Covenant; Imperial Oath of Five Articles

word salad

like water; like it grows on trees

all returns to dust; the fruit of the tree falls to the roots

to mimic someone's voice; to impersonate

to get together all the money necessary (to pay off a debt)

how should I put it?; what shall I say?; well, you know; like

too terrible to look at; unbearable to look at

to stop communicating; to never be heard from again; to disappear; to go missing

my dear; my darling

to work too hard; to try too hard; to strain oneself; to overdo it; to go too far

windy; windswept; blowy

windy; windswept; blowy

rainy; showery; inclement

rainy; showery; inclement