at the very beginning; first of all; first and foremost; before anything else
promise; agreement; arrangement; something expected or predictable (e.g. running gag); typical or clichéd development (in a story); something considered obligatory or guaranteed (in a certain situation)
total darkness; pitch dark; bleak future; poor prospects
to speak; to hear a voice
at the critical moment; when the time comes; when it's most important; when necessary; in an emergency; when push comes to shove
reliable; trustworthy; hopeful; promising
to hit (e.g. to have a car hit someone); to run into; to reject; to deny; to eliminate; to exclude; to flip
bad (taste); unpalatable; poor; unskillful; ugly; unattractive
to stay at (e.g. hotel); to be docked; to be berthed; to be moored
sleeping outdoors; sleeping out in the open air; camping
a little; a bit; just a minute; for a moment; somewhat; rather
therefore; for that reason; such being the case
continued alertness; unrelaxed alertness; follow-through (e.g. in archery); lingering affection; attachment
barrier; gate; seki (in go); mutual life
root (of a plant); root (of a tooth, hair, etc.); center (of a pimple, etc.); root (of all evil, etc.); source; one's true nature
bread; (sweet) pastry; staff of life; one's bread
to bring to a finish; to bind firmly; to superintend
penal servitude; imprisonment with hard labor (hard labour)
light; well-lit; bright (of a colour); brightly-coloured; cheerful; bright; encouraging (for the future of a project, etc.)
fleeting; transient; short-lived; empty (dream, etc.); mere (hope); faint (possibility)
opening; start; opening credits; title sequence; theme song (played during the opening credits of a TV show, etc.)
play; recreation; play (theatre); performance; staging; praying
carelessly; thoughtlessly; inadvertently
to do over again; to redo; to start over; to remake; to resume; to recommence
emergency; extraordinary; unusual
tedious; boring; being fed up with
reaching a stopping place; settling down (before the next stage); getting to a point where one can rest; one paragraph
at any rate; in any case; at the very least; if nothing else
freely; at liberty; at will; as one likes
opinion; point of view; visual point
hectic; topsy-turvy; chaotic
work (e.g. of art); production; harvest; cultivation; technique
confidence; trust; faith; credit (finance)
24 hours; twenty-four hours