present day; modern times; recent times; early modern period (in Japan, usu. from the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II)
to sharpen; to hone; to wash (rice); to scour; to polish
ready wit; quick wits; resourcefulness; raising (money)
to bite at; to snap at; to nibble; to get one's teeth into (metaphorically); to get to grips with; to really get into
to fall into (e.g. a hole); to fall into (chaos, depression, dilemma, illness, etc.); to fall into (a trap, etc.); to fall; to surrender
for better or worse; for good and bad; regardless of merit; both good and bad
to distance oneself (from); to keep (something or someone) at a distance; to maintain a distance (from)
to put back up; to stand back up; to restore (to former strength); to revive (e.g. the economy); to make again (a plan, policy, etc.); to reformulate
standard; basis; criterion; norm; reference; datum
quick; speedy; prompt; rapid; swift
control; bringing under control; settling (a matter); putting in order
opportunity; occasion; (arch.) order; (arch.) sequence; (arch.) successor
to turn; to shift; to alter; to distract
society; the world; the times
to have a lot on one's shoulders; to bear a lot of responsibility
disorder; disturbance; unrest
to bring; to take; to bring about
to lose sight of (one's companions); to stray from; to miss (one's chance to ...)
to fall behind; to lag behind; to lose (race, contest)
to put back; to return; to vomit; to throw up; to recover (of a market price)
to hurry; to rush; to hasten; to make something happen sooner
as much as possible; as far as possible; to the best of one's abilities
to miss a chance; to fail to do
isolation; being alone; being friendless
not the time for; not the place for; far from; anything but; ... is out of the question; ... isn't the word for it
to worry about; to be worried about; to fret about; to not know what to do; to be at a loss (as to what to do)
charming; fascinating; enchanting; bewitching; beguiling; captivating
glitter; glimmer; sparkle; twinkle
spinal fluid; gray matter; grey matter
to incline toward; to slant; to lurch; to go down (sun); to wane; to sink
to be disordered; to be disarranged; to be discomposed; to be upset; to lapse into chaos (due to war, etc.)
by all rights; legally speaking; properly speaking
birds of prey (of order Falconiformes or Strigiformes); raptors
trampling down; overrunning; infringement; violation
standing facing each other (e.g. mountains, buildings); standing opposite each other; confrontation; squaring off against (adversaries, armies, forces); standing off against
to raise one's voice; to shout
shadow; silhouette; reflection; image; ominous sign; light (stars, moon)
to succeed (in doing); to pull something off; to manage (to do a job)
all times and places; all ages and countries