to take the initiative; to forestall; to beat to the punch
sometimes; occasionally; now and then; from time to time
payment to the government
major dealer; wealthy merchant
wealthy person; millionaire
need for social approval and self-esteem
listed company (on a stock exchange)
failure story; horror story
tip-top; top; top-drawer; best; foremost; elite
adult; grown-up; person who has come of age; fully fledged; established; qualified
in the company of; accompanied by ...; as a group comprising ...; likes of ...
consequence; result; conclusion
going out of business; closing a shop; exiting a store; leaving a shop
mime; dumb show; silent drama; pantomime
you bastard!; you son of a bitch!
to search for; to seek for; to look for
to miss a meal; to lose the means to make one's livelihood
glib; smooth-talking; silver-tongued
unprecedented; unheard-of; record-breaking
to have a lot of influence (in); to have clout (with); to be influential; to have contacts (in)
to be biased; to have a bias
here and there; all around; everywhere; to get things in the wrong order (back to front); to become muddled up
washing with cold water (without using soap, etc.)
developing (e.g. industry, town, economy)
round shape; circle; circular form
extreme foolishness; grave stupidity; big fool; damn idiot; utter fool
scram (emergency nuclear reactor shut-down)
to plan; to attempt; to plot; to conspire; to deceive; to trick
to fade into dusk; to fade into twilight; to decline; to wane; to look melancholic (of a person)
battle; fight; fighting; engagement; contest
wrasse (any fish of family Labridae)
last words recited to the newly departed; requiem; converting people to Buddhism
in deep black; in jet black
to stick to; to cling to; to adhere to
sampling food; tasting; trying
slot machine in a pachinko parlor (parlour)
click-clack; clickety-click; clicking sound; clattering sound