decisive battle; deciding match; play-off
with all one's strength; with might and main; as hard as one can
to go crazy (esp. of a situation or thing); to get out of hand; to end up in an extreme state
striking (at something) and missing; swing and a miss; vain attempt
unhappiness; sorrow; misfortune; death (usu. of a relative); bereavement
incident; affair; happening; event
the end; closing; being done for; that's it; that's enough; that's all
pillow; bolster; introduction (e.g. to a rakugo story); lead-in
to wet; to moisten; to dampen; to soak; to dip
hesitantly; timidly; diffidently
Satan; the Devil; the Prince of Darkness; king of the demons who try to prevent people from doing good
gathering evidence (e.g. to back a news story); getting the facts; obtaining supporting evidence
specialist; expert; professional; authority; pundit
reverberation; swelling (of a hymn); lingering memory; aftertaste; suggestiveness (of a book, poem, etc.)
to melt into; to dissolve into; to merge into; to blend into (surroundings); to fit in; to adapt to
to pant (while rushing); to gasp; to puff and blow
to perceive; to understand
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
high praise; great admiration; rave reviews
don't worry about it; forget about it
some; any; in any way; of some kind; of some sort
to get worked up; to be eager (enthusiastic); to rouse oneself
a little bit; a little while
tempting thing; (too much of a) temptation; something that shouldn't be seen; thing damaging to the eyes
to poke fun at; to make fun of; to send up
to start for home; to head for home; to make for home
dispersion; breakup; variance; dispersion
party; group; crew; company (of troops); corps; unit
to place in a row; to line up; to list; to enumerate; to talk a lot of nonsense; to tell a lot of lies
to spend all of one's time in idle amusement
nimble; agile; quick; quick (thinking); smart; alert
to thin out (plants, seedlings, crops, etc.); to cull; to run on a curtailed schedule; to cut down; to kill a newborn child (due to financial difficulties)
to set one's hand to; to start work on; to embezzle; to use (money obtained in illegal fashion); to have sexual relations; to have an affair
to need; to call for; to require
to reach back into one's memory; to search one's mind; to recall
to take someone along; to be accompanied (by)
amateur; layman; respectable woman (i.e. not a prostitute, hostess, geisha); (arch.) unlicensed prostitute
the north; northward; northern direction; northern part (e.g. of a country); northern district
general; admiral; head; chief; old chap; mate