to lead; to take the lead; to be in a top position
to let the tension out of one's shoulders; to relax; to not take oneself too seriously
far from; anything but; not at all; let alone; to say nothing of; not to mention
top; top position; senior management; senior bureaucrat
warm (treatment, reception, etc.); kind; cordial; hospitable; courteous; respectful
to bend; to curve; to turn; to be awry; to be askew
being in shape; holding a dignified appearance
sound argument; fair argument; just reasoning
to admonish; to persuade; to warn; to remonstrate
downheartedly; dejectedly; dispiritedly; despondently
to shorten; to reduce; to crumple (fabric); to wrinkle; to make (one's body) smaller; to draw in (one's legs)
to say no more; to sink into silence
turns and twists; ups and downs; meandering; complications; vicissitudes
to take the initiative; to forestall; to beat to the punch
value; worth; virtue; blessing
suitable; appropriate; befitting; conjoining; association; samprayukta
deep emotion; strong feelings
or rather (say); or better (say); or perhaps I should say; or, how should I put it,...; I mean
absurd; unreasonable; extreme; senseless; disorderly; chaotic
recently; lately; these days
to return to normal; to revert to the starting point; to go back to how it was
to apologize; to apologise
huh?; eh?; what?; oh; hey!; look!
now that you mention it; come to think of it; that reminds me; on that subject; speaking of which
floor; stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player); dining platform built across a river
echo; reverberation; response; reaction; repercussions
corridor; hallway; passageway
peace; quiet; tranquility; tranquillity
large number (of); many; majority
(political) power; authority; influence
corner; edge; (street) corner; turning; rough edges (of one's character, words, etc.); abrasiveness
to turn right; to turn to the right
occasionally; once in a while; now and then; rarely; seldom
to pass (by) each other; to brush past; to miss (meeting) each other; to fail to meet; to be at odds; to clash
return; comeback; reinstatement; carriage return; CR
kernel; core; nucleus; center; centre
to dig down; to dig into (a matter); to delve into; to probe into
to pull apart; to separate; to have a lead over; to pull ahead of; to outdistance
to let (someone) swim; to make (someone) swim; to make (someone) stumble forward; to make stagger; to let (a suspect) roam freely (while monitoring them); to leave at large
pessimism; disappointment