important matter; matter of great importance; serious affair; major incident; emergency
support; backing; endorsement; propping up; holding up; support
wings of a stage; side stage; coulisse
smoothly; swimmingly; forthrightly; without hesitation
lie; falsehood; fiction; fabrication
you have only to; all you have to (do); all that's required; as long as; if only
previous year (fiscal, academic, etc.)
declining; refusal; nonacceptance; turning down; withdrawal (e.g. of candidacy); pulling out (e.g. of a race)
roll (e.g. of cloth); winding (e.g. watch); volume (of book); speeding up; heel (of a Japanese sandal)
next; next person; (arch.) room adjoining a noble's parlor
to be frank with you; to tell you the truth; I'm going to lay my cards on the table
ten thousand years; eternity; perennial; perpetual
indicates a confident conclusion; indicates emotional emphasis; indicates question
vocabulary; lexicon; lexis; terminology
mad (with grief, love, etc.); crazy; out of one's mind; on the verge of insanity
frank; candid; straightforward; openhearted; direct; outspoken
human; human-like; as a person
to be doing; to be in the process of doing
long-established shop; shop of long standing; old shop
temple; shrine; hall; company; (arch.) front room
command; order; request; order (for an item)
between times; when there's a spare moment
store name; shop name; restaurant name
episode; anecdote; vignette; episode
secret admirer; closet fan
to swoop down; to glide down; to fly down; to land gently (on); to alight (on)
thunder; thunderclap; crash of thunder
flawless; absolute perfection
refreshment; something refreshing; welcome relief; tonic; refreshing medicine
refrigerator; cold; cool; cold sake
being stuck between a rock and a hard place; being in a dilemma; being torn between conflicting demands
ought to have been; was ... right?; to do for (inferiors)
subtracting points; deducting points; points deducted
new school (of thought, etc.); new drama
to teach (the way); to guide; to instruct; to enlighten
to conceal one's true nature or feelings; to feign friendliness; to play the hypocrite
hope; white hope; person of promise
charming; fascinating; voluptuous
overall victory; championship; winning the title; (being in) heaven; bliss; perfect contentment
different opinion; objection
to assume the posture of praying; to press the palms and fingers of both hands together; to beg; to make a supplication; to see (something or someone of high status)
chairman; moderator; toastmaster; master of ceremonies; chairperson; host (of a TV show, etc.)
in the background; not standing out