Vocabulary

in swarms; in great crowds; in huge numbers

astonished beyond words; speechless out of shock

speechless (with amazement); struck dumb; tongue-tied; dumbfounded

gentle; mild; lenient

obi for men's use; men's kimono sash

interest in men; itch for men

tease; flirt; man-eater; seductress

male presence

woman with a turbulent love life; woman always having man trouble

male friend; man friend

scarcity of eligible men; difficulty for a woman to find a man; man shortage

to show contempt for; to look down upon; to have a low opinion of

making no sound; staying quiet

unsympathetic manager; section chief with a heart of stone

The General (1936 novel by C. S. Forester)

joke; witticism; pleasantry; attempt at humour; attempt at humor

to extort (money); to blackmail

to manipulate (someone); to make (someone) dance to one's tune; to lead astray

to dance all night; to dance until dawn

cancellation; abandonment

crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci)

male screw

shudder; shiver; agitation

rice ball coated with sweetened red beans, soybean flour or sesame

container for boiled rice

field of flowers; flower garden; flower bed

tail feathers

display of dolls during Hinamatsuri

hundred times worship (e.g. walking back and forth a hundred times before a shrine offering a prayer each time)

halibut (esp. the Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis)

tedious; lengthy; wordy; long-winded

tediously; lengthily; wordily

dyslexia

disassemble

unrelated; irrelevant; unconcerned; unconnected

unrelated; irrelevant; unconcerned; unconnected

curiously enough; oddly enough; strange to tell

pancreatic islets; islets of Langerhans

to lure; to entice

Emperor hina doll