the crucial moment; the moment of truth; do-or-die situation; crucial juncture; crucial stage
reserve; spare; preparation; preliminaries
preparation; arrangements; provision; getting ready; laying out (e.g. a meal)
at present; currently; so far; for now; for the time being
vigilance; caution; alertness; precaution; being on guard
had better ...; had better not ...
large stage; grand stage; the big stage; grand setting
to read; to recite (e.g. a sutra); to chant; to predict; to guess; to decipher; to count
stage (theatre, theater); scene or setting (e.g. of novel, play, etc.)
to use excessively; to use too much; to spend too much; to overwork someone
extremely important; essential; vital; crucial
truth; reality; sincerity; honesty; content; substance
to blow off (strongly); to blow away; to drive away (e.g. one's worries); to dispel; to do at great speed (e.g. drive a car); to carry out (a task) very quickly
thankfully; fortunately; luckily; thanks to your (his, their, everyone's, etc.) kindness; thanks to your assistance; thanks to your support
teacher (to whom one owes a debt of gratitude); mentor; one's former teacher
obvious; clear; plain; evident; apparent; explicit
calculation; reckoning; count; forecast
to be hit; to strike; to touch; to be in contact; to be equivalent to; to be applicable; to be right on the money (of a prediction, criticism, etc.)
not factored in; not included in calculations; unaccounted for; unplanned for
massacre; annihilation; wholesale slaughter
to aim at (with a weapon, etc.); to be after (something or someone); to have an eye on; to aim for; to set up as a goal
radical party; extremists
scoundrel; rascal; villain
to speak frankly; to put things bluntly
to compete; to contest; to quarrel; to argue; to deny (e.g. evidence)
speaking of ...; when it comes to ...; as for ...; if one were to say ...
the person in question; prominent figure; distinguished person; that person
thinly; slightly; vaguely; a little
standard item; usual thing; (a) classic; basic item (with stable demand); staple goods
speech; words; one's lines; remarks
to vomit; to throw up; to emit; to send forth; to give (an opinion); to make (a comment)
contortion; distortion; warp; kink (in one's character); twist
ominous; sinister; (arch.) annoying; (arch.) appearing to be true; (arch.) plausible
that's the way it is; such is life
glaring; flaming; fiery; blazing
pure; true; genuine; unmixed
to exceed (esp. figures: profits, unemployment rate, etc.); to surpass; to be more than; to be better than
single horseman; wait for one tile to finish one's pair and one's hand; wait for half of one's pair with four melds completed