does not seem; unlikely; improbable
about the same; about equal to; close match
unsuited; inappropriate; improper; undeserved
reduction by half; halving
a long time (since the last time); first in a long time; it's been a long time; long time no see
feeling sick (suddenly); feeling queasy; feeling nauseated; being angry (suddenly); being offended; being disgusted
first-class; first-rate; characteristic (of); peculiar (to); school (e.g. of flower arrangement); one flag
somehow; for some reason (or other); without knowing why
taste (in fashion, music, etc.); sense (e.g. of humour); flair
reason; logic; sense; natural way of things
to open (e.g. doors); to open (e.g. business, etc.); to be empty; to be vacant; to be available; to be open (e.g. neckline, etc.); to have been opened (of one's eyes, mouth, etc.)
seat; location (of a gathering, etc.); place; position; post
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 stuff one's cheeks; to fill one's mouth (with food)
these days; nowadays; now; at present; recently; lately
one's financial situation; one's finances; state of one's purse
calculation; computation; bill; check; consideration; allowance
generous; magnanimous; big-hearted; broad-minded; (lit.) big-bellied
hors d'oeuvre; party platter; assorted food tray; catering platter
to be strongly attracted (by); to be utterly charmed (by); to be completely captivated (by); to admire greatly; to fall deeply in love (with); to fall head over heels (for)
elder brother; big brother; one's senior; one's elder; old ingredients; stale ingredients
at every opportunity; for each and every thing that crops up; with every little thing; whenever possible; whenever the chance arises; at every turn
and yet; though; when; in spite of
grave; sad; mournful; sorrowful; pensive
expression; look; countenance; face
to see through (a plot, lie, etc.); to penetrate into; to discover; to find out
measure; step; countermeasure; counterplan; countermove; strategy
wisdom; jnana (higher knowledge)
hit; success; guess; prediction; affability; friendliness; sensation
hot topic; talk of the town
unheard-of; unprecedented; unparalleled in history (unparallelled); record-breaking
(apparently) that's what it's like, isn't it; that sort of (thing mentioned immediately prior)
to be vague; to speak ambiguously; to be evasive; to not commit oneself
to twine; to get tangled; to be involved (e.g. of money in a matter); to get involved (in); to pick a quarrel (with); to find fault (with)
true state; actual condition; reality
(a) little; somewhat; somehow
to scratch; to perspire; to shovel; to paddle
repetitious; long-winded; heavy (taste); (overly) rich; gaudy (colour, design, etc.); loud
hard to deal with; hard to handle; difficult; trying; intractable; incorrigible
nonsense; no meaning; meaningless
at the critical moment; when the time comes; when it's most important; when necessary; in an emergency; when push comes to shove