shield; buckler; escutcheon; pretext
social; societal; societary
influence; clout; leverage
guest of honor; guest of honour; good customer; important customer
at the critical moment; when the time comes; when it's most important; when necessary; in an emergency; when push comes to shove
to detach; to decapitate; to cut loose; to let loose; to dismember
to reason; to sum up; to conclude
far away in the distance; in the far distance
to vanish gradually (e.g. of a voice); to trail off; to die away; to feel one's soul leaving one's body (from embarrassment, grief, etc.); to feel faint; to feel numb
to step firmly; to harden by treading
rough; wild; rude; harsh; gruff; violent
to cut off; to cut up; to tear to pieces
to turn reddish-brown; to turn rufous; to become discolored; to become discoloured
armoring; armouring; armor; armour
to make an appearance; to show up
big man; large man; tall man; giant
foolishness; silliness; stupidity; (arch.) I; (arch.) me
within the borders of a country; domestic soil; inland; interior; Japan proper (as opposed to its overseas colonies); homeland
belonging to (a group, organization, etc.); affiliation (with); being attached to; being under the control of
island; one's territory (e.g. of a sex worker, organized crime gang); one's turf
Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata)
thank you for your hard work; I appreciate your efforts
sample; specimen; pattern; model; example
raising one's hand; show of hands (e.g. for a vote); salute
to respond; to answer; to meet (e.g. demands, expectations); to affect; to take a toll; to strike home
hero; heroine; Eroica Symphony (Beethoven, 1804); Heroic Polonaise (Chopin)
the most; the best; peerless; the greatest; first-rate
honour; honor; glory; privilege
regretful; sorrowful; bitter; contrition
height; acme; extremity; end; limit
to make a mistake (in); to commit an error (e.g. in calculation); to confuse; to mistake something for something else
... all over again (repeating the same failure)
on the occasion of; at the time of
former (e.g. name); previous; changed; examination; inspection; investigation
chill; the shivers; shivering fit; cold; coldness; cold air
to fail to die (e.g. after suicide attempt or accident); to survive; to outlive
blue; azure; green; pale; gray; unripe
opportunity; occasion; (arch.) order; (arch.) sequence; (arch.) successor
to open one's mouth (to talk); to (start to) tell
green pheasant (Phasianus versicolor); Japanese pheasant
cloth; fabric; dough; batter; inherent quality; one's true character; unglazed pottery