In 1760-61 he was master of the local academy in Ying-ch’eng; in 1764 he had a similar position in nearby T’ien-men.

Is your laugh hung on a hair-trigger?--that is, is it critical, or can you get it off easy?

The snacks are called tapas because in the old days a piece of toast was served, too, so that you might have a top on your glass of sherry, a lid that would prevent the flies from getting into the glass.

If the author uses such notation, it should be up to Em to indicate Eir intentions clearly, but there's no harm checking first.