black rotary-dial telephone
at the critical moment; when the time comes; when it's most important; when necessary; in an emergency; when push comes to shove
valuable article; valuables
to conceal; to keep secret; to cover up
to be born and raised (in); to be born and brought up; to be born and bred
tempering (metal); annealing; forging; toughening; disciplining; training
unprecedented; unique; unparalleled
on the surface; ostensibly; superficially; apparently
village; hamlet; countryside; country; home (of one's parents, etc.); hometown
outflow; effluence; efflux; outflow (of people, capital, etc.); drain (of gold, talent, etc. from a country); leak (e.g. of personal information)
to check; to hold back; to keep at bay; to stop; to prevent; to stem
by any standard; (not) even as flattery
good; fine; excellent; favorable; favourable; satisfactory
hard to say; inexpressible; hesitant to say; embarrassing; delicate
collision; crash; impact; clash; skirmish; conflict
firm; strong; unbending; unyielding; uncompromising; stubborn
late at night; at a late hour
separate room; another room; special room; (arch.) concubine (of a noble)
to have much trouble; to have a hard time; to not know how to handle
difficult to ...; hard to ...
circuitous; roundabout; indirect
to be blown off; to be blown away; to disappear; to vanish; to rush; to hurry
flabbily; softly; limply; easily (bend); effortlessly; flexibly
to go crazy (esp. of a situation or thing); to get out of hand; to end up in an extreme state
flabby; limp; soft and pliable
viscous; mushy; muddy; dirty (with oil, grease, etc.); to be in an ugly state (of emotions, relations, etc.); to be murky
radio wave; reception; signal; saying strange things
hastily constructed; hastily built; made in a hurry; jerry-built; makeshift
piece of cake; a walk in the park
to improve upon; to make improvements to; to refine
playfulness; mischivousness; naughtiness
drastic move (e.g. hold or strike in martial arts); power technique; display of power
telecommunications; correspondence
causing concern; (lit.) bad for the heart
substance; true form; main part; main unit; object of worship (at a shrine, temple, etc.); noumenon
to shun; to avoid; to ostracize; to neglect; to distance oneself from; to give the hard shoulder
to stop (plug) one's ears
to tangle; to get tangled; to have poor control over (one's tongue, feet, etc.); to trip over; to become complicated; to become difficult
in the same way as; just like