to dust; to remove dust; to slap; to hit (with the palm); to use up money
to drop like a rock (e.g. of reputation, power, influence); to go down the toilet
guarantee; security; assurance; pledge; warranty
sure to ...; certain to ...; bound to ...; it's natural that ...
prudish; strait-laced; boring; square
or rather (say); or better (say); or perhaps I should say; or, how should I put it,...; I mean
to point; to nominate; to select someone; to identify; to indicate; to play (a game of shogi)
bright; intelligent; clever; smart
to bite at; to snap at; to nibble; to get one's teeth into (metaphorically); to get to grips with; to really get into
pitiful; heartbreaking; heartrending; touching; tragic; sad
expresses a firm view or feeling; please ...; would you ...
to spend one's days in tears and sorrow
original; unique; distinctive; independent; one's own; personal
blasphemy; curse; profanity; sacrilege; desecration
nothing but; none other than
(one's) consideration; (taking) notice; interest; within the eye
to rub; to chafe; to strike (match); to lose (e.g. a match); to forfeit; to squander one's money (e.g. through gambling, Pachinko, etc.)
to compare and contrast two alternatives; to weigh the relative merits of A and B; to weigh one's options; to try to have it both ways; to try to sit on two stools
good; goodness; right; virtue
wicked person; evil person; scoundrel; bad thing; mischief
to resonate emotionally (with one); to strike a chord; to be gut-wrenching
to bear up in tragedy; to stand pain well; to hold one's temper; to clench one's teeth; to grit one's teeth
to throw something to each other; to pass something back and forth; to bandy something around; to take part in a pitching duel
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
absurd; foolish; stupid; silly; nonsense; ludicrous
crowd of people; great number of people; in great numbers
something said for politeness' sake; diplomatic language; honeyed words; lip service; empty compliment
to look at again; to re-examine (policy, estimate, plan, etc.); to review; to get a better opinion of; to see in a more positive light; to improve
demolition; taking down; dissolution (of an organization, company, etc.); breaking up; dissection (of a body); dismemberment
to be contrary; to run counter (to); to conflict (with); to disagree (with)
to ascend (the throne); to accede
duration; continuance; survival; persistence; retention
whether one likes it or not; whether willing or not; willy-nilly
long time; long interval; for quite some time
change; alteration; substitute; rate of exchange
accomplishment; execution
to gain knowledge; to build up one's knowledge
research area; field of research