to be at wits' end; to be greatly perplexed; to be troubled
lodging; inn; house; home; home of a servant's parents (or guarantor, etc.)
to get; to obtain; to come by; to find
cavity; hollow; void; hollow (voice, smile, etc.); blank (eyes, look, etc.); vacant (expression, stare, etc.)
in the first place; to begin with; after all; anyway; beginning; start
large part; greater part; people in general; general public; mostly; for the most part
finally; in the end; at last; in the end; after all; never (happened)
(physical) form; shape; visage; (facial) features; form (as opposed to substance); manner (of action); (resultant) state
far from; anything but; not at all ... but rather ...; let alone; to say nothing of; not to mention
intelligence; intellect; brains
anywhere; for all time; through thick and thin; come hell or high water; persistently; stubbornly
gold (metal); gold (color); gold (medal); first place (prize); something of great value; something golden (e.g. silence); money
to fold one's arms; to link arms with someone
art; craft; accomplishment; artistic skill; technique; performance
to go under; to pass under; to dive (into or under the water); to evade; to get around; to survive
rare; uncommon; new; novel; fine; nice
there are no tricks or gimmicks (phrase used at magic shows); perfectly ordinary (e.g. mirror, pack of cards)
to sharpen; to hone; to wash (rice); to scour; to polish
main street; avenue; boulevard
to ignite; to set fire to; to spark (an incident, etc.); to inflame (a situation, etc.)
older brother; elder brother; young man; buddy; fella
to refuse; to reject; to inform; to give notice; to ask leave; to excuse oneself (from)
misemono; type of Edo- and Meiji-period side show often held outdoors or in small temporarily erected shacks on temple and shrine grounds; show; exhibition; spectacle
to threaten; to menace; to frighten (into doing)
to bow; to bow one's head; to apologize; to apologise; to bow to; to yield to
to catch (a wild animal, fish, insect, baseball, etc.); to capture
exit; way out; outlet; vent
gatekeeper; door guard; doorman; concierge; janitor
to (call and) stop; to call (someone) to stop; to hail (e.g. a taxi)
certificate; credentials; testimonial
to (take out and) show; to demonstrate; to point out (finger, clock hand, needle, etc.); to indicate; to show
registry; entry; book-keeping; signature
when it comes to ...; if one were to speak of ...; by ... you mean ...; when you say ... you mean that ...; whenever ...; if it's ... then (without fail)
outside ...; beyond ...; not included in ...
even if not; even without
may; might; perhaps; may be; possibly
very; extremely; extreme; excessive; splendid; impressive
to leave behind; to put off; to postpone
the clouds look menacing; things don't look good
daily employment; hiring by the day; day laborer; day labourer