to become loose; to slacken (e.g. rope); to become less tense; to relax; to slacken (e.g. coldness, supervision); to become lax; to become softer (e.g. ground, facial expression)
that is (to say); namely; precisely; exactly; if one does ..., then; in that case
difficulty; hardship; trouble; infeasibility; inability (to carry out)
seeing the light; being awakened to the truth; having the scales fall from one's eyes
to show through; to be hinted at; to peek through; to shine through
to take advantage (e.g. of a weak situation); to size up (e.g. customer when setting a high price)
spoiled fun; loss of interest; damper (e.g. on the party); wet blanket; turn-off
to mask; to cover; to cloak; to hide; to conceal
cheap-looking; tawdry; insignificant
carpet; rug; mat, mattress, quilt etc. spread out on the floor (or ground) and used to sit or sleep on; spread; (cloth) cover
association (of ideas); being reminded (of something); suggestion
obstacle; hindrance; impediment; difficulty
whispering; whisper; secret talk; murmur
to stand, walk, etc. shoulder-to-shoulder; to be on a par with
brush up (i.e. fine tune, polish up, revise)
to finish writing; to complete; to write down (e.g. a list); to write out
rough-hewn; incomplete; unrefined; still in the process of being formed
technical; specialist; professional; exclusive
making do; getting by (somehow); managing
promptly; quickly; without delay; before others; first
rushing to one's doom; (like a) moth flying into the flame
closely (packed, lined up, etc.); tightly; densely; (work) sufficiently
electric appliance store; electrician
to order; to send away for; to have (something) sent to one; to pull (something) closer
light bulb; incandescent light bulb
every corner; every nook and cranny; all the ins and outs
hundred-yen store; 100 yen shop
pharmacy; drugstore; chemist's (shop); hospital pharmacy; dispensary
chain store; retail chain; restaurant chain
at the critical moment; when the time comes; when it's most important; when necessary; in an emergency; when push comes to shove
a great deal; very much; a lot; (arch.) with a great amount of effort
minimum; at the very least
to succeed; to relieve; to take the place of; to substitute for; to be exchanged; to change (places with)
splish-splash; with a splash; click-click (of a camera shutter); with a click; with a snap
(opening a door) with a clatter; noisily; (falling) with a clatter; with a crash; (changing) completely; totally
breaking up (a meeting, gathering, etc.); dispersal (e.g. of a crowd); dissolution (of a company, organization, etc.); winding-up; dissolution (of the Diet, Parliament, etc.)
to be unsteady; to reel; to shake; to waver; to be unsettled (feelings, thoughts, etc.)
copy; duplicate; facsimile; cc (on e-mails); carbon copy
nailing on; nailing down; being stationary; being rooted to the spot; (price) pegging
surreptitious glance; looking furtively
macaron (meringue-based sandwich cookie); French macaroon
in person; personally; (do) oneself