How Japan saved its biggest city from collapse - Roman Krznaric

dripping

fat that comes out of meat when it is cooked, often kept for frying other food in

frayed

(of cloth) with threads in it that are starting to come apart

deftly

with movements that are quick and show skill

patchwork

[uncountable] a type of needlework in which small pieces of cloth of different colours or designs are sewn together

feudal

the social system that existed during the Middle Ages in Europe in which people were given land and protection by a nobleman, and had to work and fight for him in return

teetering on the brink of

​to be very close to a very unpleasant or dangerous situation