scene; setting; scene (in a movie, play); shot; state of the market
upright; honest; faithful; conscientious; sincere
merger (of companies, towns, etc.); combination; union; amalgamation; consolidation; coalition
acquisition (esp. corporate); buy-out; takeover; bribery; buying off; corruption
conglomerate; group of companies run as a single organization
chief executive officer; CEO
near the mark; pretty close; not a bad guess
evaluation criteria; evaluation standard
honour; honor; glory; privilege
handshake; reconciliation; joining hands; cooperation
to shoot dead (with an arrow)
to drop in; to go see (someone); to come to hang out
position (where one is standing); place where one stands; position; stance; standpoint
please excuse the intrusion; I'm coming in
to fall forward (of a person); to tumble forward
to wear a mask; to hide one's true intentions
to handle (men); to master (a tool); to manage; to acquire a command of (a language)
pit of one's stomach; bottom of one's heart; one's true feelings; one's innermost thoughts
ferocious; fierce; truculent; savage
to take a breath; to take a short rest
pure; innocent; pure; unmixed; long kimono made from the same plain-coloured cloth
all over the body; from head to foot; all over
nice to meet you; I'm glad to make your acquaintance; how do you do?
to sit up straight; to straighten one's posture; to straighten up
something or other; one thing or another; this or that
one turn; spinning around; complete change; reversal; (an) about-face
splendid; magnificent; utter (esp. defeat); total; (arch.) something worth seeing; (arch.) sight
exchange; conversion; replacement; switching (to); switchover
the other day; a few days ago
prefix for forming ordinal numbers
ordering (materials); placing an order; order
competitive bidding (esp. for government contracts)
frame; framework; border; box; limit; restriction; category
stock; share; stump; (clump of) roots; plant with attached roots or stem; strain (of bacteria, etc.); stock company
low-priced; cheap; shallow (e.g. sympathy); superficial; link back to discussion group, bulletin board, etc. posting
conditions of a contract; terms of a contract
cost-cutting; cost reduction
innermost secrets (of an art or skill); mysteries; essence; heart
disguised contracting; fake subcontract; hiring a temporary employee and paying for the completion of the work rather than the work itself, thereby avoiding have to pay benefits
(corporate) restructuring; downsizing; laying off (workers)