Vocabulary

to persevere; to keep at something (regardless of one's fatigue)

a woman has no home of her own in this world (because she has to obey her parents when she is young, her husband when she gets married, and her children when she is old)

to act as mediator; to help a relationship; to bridge a gap (between people)

to insult each other; to trade insults; to abuse each other verbally

to play (baseball, softball, etc.)

to be put to shame (of an expert); to be no match (for someone); to run away barefoot

to be put to shame (of an expert); to be no match (for someone); to run away barefoot

the misfortune of others tastes as sweet as honey

dustbin of history; ash heap of history; obscurity; long-forgotten memory

to have the personal support of (an influential person); to be under the patronage of

to be unmovable; to be well-established; to take root

to have the upper hand; to surpass (someone)

to emboss; to carve in relief

to lead (an advance); to spearhead (a campaign, attack)

swishing and then spitting out (the toothpaste foam after brushing)

to be clear of obstacles in the way of one's objective

to force out corruption; to drive away misconduct; to clean up; to drain out pus

easy Japanese (that is easily understood by non-native speakers, children, etc.)

for show; for appearance's sake; ostentatiously; to look good

hot-blooded; hot-headed; temperamental; impulsive

many years

to follow loyally; to wait on someone hand and foot; to be at someone's beck and call

standing in each other's way; holding each other back; getting in the way of each other's success; hindering each other's progress

good advice is harsh to the ear

the reality always falls short of the fame; local specialties rarely taste good

to stare at; to glare at

public servant (esp. police); dogs of the state

painstaking (e.g. effort); excruciating (e.g. hard work); grueling

to jump on someone's (verbal) mistake; to trip someone up; to find fault with something someone says

(we) apologize for the inconvenience

to budge; to move even slightly; to move even an inch

single-handedly (usu. of a female raising children); on one's own; as a single mother

single-handedly (usu. of a male raising children); on one's own; as a single father

to get a load off one's chest; to be relieved of a worry

left turn permitted on red; left on red

hot-blooded; hot-headed; temperamental; impulsive

familiar; well-remembered

unfamiliar; strange

to recognize; to recall; to recollect; to remember (seeing before)

to have no customers (of a geisha, prostitute, etc.); to have no engagements