was it?; I think it was ...; if I've got it right; (I, we) used to ...; I remember ...; it was ...
to be popular; to come into fashion; to be prevalent; to spread widely (e.g. disease); to flourish; to thrive
time; season; period; phase; stage
strangely; oddly; miraculously; mysteriously
middle stage; middle phase; middle game; midfield
multiplication table; times table
generation; the world; the age
strike (e.g. in baseball, bowling)
cannot (due to external circumstances); cannot afford to; must not; impossible to; no way one can (do)
to be ruined; to go under; to perish; to be destroyed
modern times; the modern age; this day and age
continuous; unbroken; ceaseless
to go through; to pierce; to run through (e.g. a river through a city); to pass through; to stick to (opinion, principles, etc.); to carry out
(a) little; somewhat; somehow
bad person; villain; scoundrel; wrongdoer; wicked person
friendly; easy to get on with; easy to talk to; easy to like
condescending attitude; arrogant attitude; looking down on
surfacing; rising to the surface; emerging; leaping into prominence; rising (of rank)
to run off (fluid); to run down; to flow down
to lose; to miss (a change, opportunity); to lose (a loved one); to be bereaved of; to concede (goals, points, etc.)
water; liquid; fluid; moisture; humidity; sap
to glide; to slide (e.g. on skis); to fail (an examination); to bomb (when telling a joke); to drop; to go down
at once; right away; promptly; on the spur of the moment
left hand; left-hand side; left-hand direction; (on) the left
right; right-hand side; afore-mentioned (esp. in vertical Japanese writing); foregoing; forgoing
nape of the neck; back of the neck; scruff of the neck
to stretch; to extend; to straighten out; to be flattened; to spread (of paint, cream, etc.); to stretch out (e.g. of a hand); to extend
to rub; to pat; to stroke; to massage
beyond that point; after that
skin; hide; rind; peel; shell; sheath
bone; frame; outline; core; backbone; spirit
feel (i.e. tactile sensation); touch; feeling; sensation; texture (e.g. food, cloth)
gradually; slowly but steadily
stimulus; impetus; incentive; encouragement; motivation; provocation
pain and itching; mental anguish; unhealthy emotions
to return; to come back; to turn over; to become extremely; to become completely
to prick; to stab; to poke; to prod; to use (a cane); to prop oneself up with
soft; tender; gentle; mild; informal; light
below; down; bottom; beneath; underneath; just after; right after
before one's eyes; in front of one; under one's nose; immediate; imminent; around the corner