defeat; lost battle; losing a war
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
desperate; frantic; excited; worked up; heated; eager
to count on; to expect; to put confidence in; to trust in; to depend on
ordinary person; member of the general public; non-celebrity
shades of evening; dead of night
does not seem; unlikely; improbable
riverbed; raised platform on the bank of a river for enjoying the cool in summer
hustle and bustle; throng; crowd; congestion; traffic jam
to get drunk; to become intoxicated; to feel sick (e.g. in a vehicle); to become nauseated; to be elated; to be exalted
to catch sight of; to come into view; to happen to see
standing tall; towering; soaring
satisfaction; pride; one's strong point; one's forte; regular customer; regular client
piling shame on top of shame
largest class; top category
clamour; clamor; uproar; tumult; furore; furor
looking or acting as if one owned the place
very; much; greatly; a lot of
chōnin (Edo-period social class of town-dwelling commoners, esp. landowning merchants); townspeople; townsfolk; tradespeople
guess; speculation; supposition
missing (of a person); lost; unaccounted for; whereabouts unknown
showing no signs of; there being no hint of; (arch.) unthinkable
to drop like a rock (e.g. of reputation, power, influence); to go down the toilet
literary woman; talented woman
to open the lid; to lift a lid; to open the lid (on); to make public; to start (something); to look at the results (consequences, outcome, effect)
unexpectedly; surprisingly; unexpected; unanticipated; unforeseen
beating (inflicted as punishment); mob violence; mob justice
to hear; to hear by chance; to hear by accident; to catch (the sound)
to appear on the market; to be in season (e.g. fruit); to circulate widely; to make the rounds; to go around
striking; remarkable; considerable
restriction; restraint; limitation; limit
to strain; to stretch; to string up; to cover over (e.g. with tiles, ice, etc.)
pure; innocent; pure; unmixed; long kimono made from the same plain-coloured cloth
innocent; cherubic; childlike
commonplace (of people or animals); ordinary; typical; ubiquitous; run-of-the-mill; found around every corner
to go to ruin; to go under; to fall; to be destroyed; to die out; to become extinct
worker; breadwinner; supporter; able person; able man; productive worker