self-destruction; ruining oneself; natural decay; perishing naturally
mouth; speech; counter for people or implements
to glitter; to sparkle; to twinkle; to glisten; to gleam; to glint
to graze (e.g. bullet); to scratch; to touch lightly; to take a percentage; to exploit; to squeeze
to make (a thundering sound); to let resound; to make (one's name, etc.) widely known; to make (one's heart) pound; to throb
to throw up (e.g. mud); to splash (up); to flip up; to tip up; to raise sharply (e.g. prices); to hike
delay; lag; falling behind; falling behind in; lagging behind in
minimum; lowest; minimal; at a minimum
to deny; to contradict; to negate (esp. a sound); to drown out
to check; to stop; to keep back
to shrink; to contract; to diminish (in size)
red and white; colours for festive or auspicious occasions (colors); two teams; two groups; Kōhaku Uta Gassen; annual contest between male and female popular singers on New Year's Eve (sponsored and broadcast by NHK)
to apply pressure to; to press
to go upstream; to go up (a river); to go back (to the past or origin); to date back (to); to trace back (to)
to be sacked; to be dismissed
standing in a row; forming a line; alignment
ugh; yuck; ick; blech; damn; crap
manners; behavior; behaviour
ought to do; have to do; must do; feel obliged to
whether one likes it or not; whether willing or not; willy-nilly
in 8 or 9 cases out of ten; in all probability
in proportion to; according to; depending on
other side; other party; other end (e.g. of phone connection); opposition
independently; individually; separately; alone; singlehanded; unassisted
to assign; to allot; to allocate; to divide among; to distribute; to prorate
inevitable; unavoidable; certain; brinkmate (inevitable checkmate)
beyond expectations; beyond what one expected; not foreseen; exceeding assumptions
to put (into); to put away (in); to pay (fees, taxes, etc.); to deliver; to accept (a gift or money); to keep (within a limit); to offer (to a shrine, deity, etc.)
practical; actual; de facto; in essence; in all but name
return; reversion; comeback; carriage return
on purpose; deliberately; intentionally
bizarre plan; perplexing strategy; outlandish scheme
deviation; inclination; offset; polarization; polarisation
to degenerate; to lapse into
carefully made; carefully produced; quality product; product made with care
the first to thrust a spear (at the enemy); the first to achieve fame; the first to achieve merit
to stifle a laugh; to hold back a laugh
pleasant feeling; good vibes
something or other; one thing or another; this or that