top brass; upper echelon; higher-ups; top management; upper reaches; top of the pile
to employ; to hire; to charter
proposal; proposition; suggestion
firm; strong; unbending; unyielding; uncompromising; stubborn
anyway; anyhow; at any rate; in any case
to refuse; to reject; to inform; to give notice; to ask leave; to excuse oneself (from)
hobby; pastime; tastes; preference; liking
with the exception of; excepting; excluding
to warm up to; to get interested in; to get excited by
to take good care of; to treasure; to value; to hold dear; to prize; to cherish
request; commission; entrusting (with a matter); dependence; reliance
cooperation; collaboration
present point (i.e. in history); at the present time
to entangle; to entwine; to pick a quarrel; to find fault; to be involved with; to be influenced by
suddenly; casually; accidentally; incidentally; unexpectedly; unintentionally
wound; injury; chip; crack; flaw; defect
copy; photocopy; blurb on a book jacket; catch copy
perfect; complete; flawless
it is ... that ...; precisely; although; while; it is precisely because ... that ...; only because ...
isn't it?; let's ...; why don't we ...; how about we ...
to start to say; to attempt to say; to be about to say; to speak to; to address
to close (e.g. book, eyes, meeting, etc.); to shut
easily; readily; quickly; lightly (seasoned food, applied make-up, etc.); plainly; simply
magic; witchcraft; sorcery; spell
farce; charade; person who serves tea; short and humorous improvised sketch (originating from Edo-era kabuki)
to laugh; to smile; to sneer; to ridicule; to be dumbfounded; to be flabbergasted
brow; glabella; middle forehead; area between the eyebrows
far from; anything but; not at all; let alone; to say nothing of; not to mention
loss (of assets, profit, etc.)
surely; undoubtedly; sternly; severely; having no slack; rigid
before very long; soon; someday; of the previously mentioned; of that number; among them
or rather (say); or better (say); or perhaps I should say; or, how should I put it; I mean
stage; step; level; rank; order; stairs
after all; because; but; even; too; as well
to forget; to leave carelessly; to be forgetful of; to forget about; to forget (an article)