to knock (someone) to their feet; to knock down; to send flying; to strike; to drive away (one's sorrows, worries, etc.); to dispel
absolutely; unconditionally; never (with neg. verb)
no matter what; whatever happens; in any situation; rain or shine
pillow; bolster; introduction (e.g. to a rakugo story); lead-in
this and that; various things
noisily (running around); with heavy feet; in a fluster; in a flurry; slapstick
not knowing what to do with the time one has on one's hand
to be struck by lightning; to be yelled at (by someone of higher status); to be scolded harshly
lightning; thunder; god of thunder; god of lightning; anger; fit of anger
shyness; bashfulness; shame
power outage; electricity outage; blackout; failure of electricity supply
it seems so; that's what it looks like
total darkness; pitch dark; bleak future; poor prospects
gradually; by degrees; little by little; steps; stairs; staircase
to be effective; to take effect; to work; to function well; to be possible (to do, use, etc.); to be able to
pitch dark; total darkness
screen (of a TV, computer, etc.); image (on a screen); picture; surface of a painting (picture, drawing, etc.)
(electric) torch; flashlight
better than none at all; better than nothing
dangerous; risky; in danger; in jeopardy; uncertain; unreliable
to trip (over); to stumble; to fail; to suffer a setback
to catch; to stop the blow; to react to; to take (advice, etc.); to accept
floor; stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player); dining platform built across a river
heavy blow; thump; wallop; belt; whack
unexpectedly; surprisingly
reliability; trustworthiness; dependability
to guess; to sense; to presume; to sympathize with; to sympathise with
calm; serenity; tranquillity; tranquility
nonchalant; unconcerned; in a casual manner
talk (esp. by a talk-show host, or by a stage musician to the audience between songs); banter; talk show; toque
to hurl abuse (at); to use abusive language
to hit; to strike; to strike (noon, etc.); to sound (cymbals, etc.); to beat (rhythmically, e.g. pulse, waves, etc.); to move; to impress
sense; sensation; feeling; intuition
uncertain; vague; ambiguous