port city; harbor city; harbour city
(foreign) trade; (international) commerce; importing and exporting
base (of operations); site; location; center; foothold; stronghold
to compete; to contest; to quarrel; to argue; to deny (e.g. evidence)
to tell (a story); to give an account of (an event, experience, etc.); to relate; to tell of; to show; to indicate
fort; fortress; stronghold; fortification
as expected; sure enough; after all (is said and done); in the end; too; also
to cut up; to cleave; to spare (time, money, etc.); to use part of something; (arch.) to have a tattoo in the corner of one's eye
composition; piece of music; tune; melody; enjoyment; fun
plain; unaffected; natural; unpretentious; frank; candid
how about ...?; I wonder; I don't know
amplitude; (degree of) instability; volatility; fluctuation
to erase; to drown out (e.g. a voice); to make disappear
cord used to tuck up the sleeves of a kimono; sash (worn over the shoulder to the opposite hip); obi (strip of paper looped around a book, CD, etc. containing information about the product)
all right; very well; there, there; patting (e.g. a child on the head); stroking
to feel anxious; to feel nervous; fluttering down; trickling down (e.g. tears); hanging untidily (of hair); straggling
handsome man; man's looks; good looks; manliness
destined; predestined; fated; fateful
rough; crude; sloppy; miscellaneous
timid; weak-kneed; fainthearted; bearish
a-ha-ha (laughing loudly)
remind me; I forget; was it?; was that what happened?
isn't it (that) different (from usual, from what one could expect, etc.)?; isn't that wrong?; no, that's wrong; it's not like that; that's not the case
big-shot; influential person; happy face; smiling face; sympathetic attitude; getting along with
two sheets (of paper or other flat objects)
to feel right; to sit well with one; to be happy about; to suit to a T; to fit well together
exactly; nicely; to a tee; to be fitting
to turn one's face; to turn around; to look over one's shoulder
fair-skinned; light-complexioned
gap; difference; disparity; discrepancy
from beginning to end; from start to finish; from first to last; end-to-end; all the way through
border (between countries); national border
global company; global corporation; multinational company
public order; public peace; public security; law and order
charm; fascination; to charm; to fascinate; to captivate
Merlion; official mascot of Singapore, depicted as a mythical creature with a lion's head and the body of a fish
to throw up; to vomit; to divulge; to reveal; to confess
regarding ...; concerning ...; about ...; on ...; with respect to ...; in regard to ...
close; intimate; on good terms
thinly; slightly; vaguely; a little
cannot (due to external circumstances); cannot afford to; must not; impossible to; no way one can (do)