striking (at something) and missing; swing and a miss; vain attempt
to have a good idea; to be able to predict
to flip-flop; to do an about-face; (lit.) to flip over one's hand; to do something easy
to use up (all one's strength, ideas, etc.); to exert oneself; to do one's best
to improve one's skill (esp. at calligraphy or drinking larger amounts of alcohol)
to hit hard; to punch hard; to give a hard blow; to wallop; to sock
to step forward; to volunteer
sudden; abrupt; unexpected
disappointment; despair; despondency; broken heart; adversity
to knock down; to beat (someone) up; to injure (someone) so badly they cannot recover (esp. emotionally); to overwhelm (with mental anguish, etc.)
No Entry; No Trespassing; No Admittance; off-limits; restricted; forbidden
oversight; omission; mistake
byway; bypath; byroad; loophole; excuse
general situation; general trend; general tendency; way things are moving; current (of the times); tide (e.g. of public opinion)
to catch up (with); to draw level; to pull even; to be compensated; to make up for one's losses
otherwise; or else; if not
plus; addition; positive number; gain; advantage; anode
to work on (someone); to appeal to; to make approaches to; to begin to work
to mistake someone for someone else; to misread; to misjudge
to apply (a rule); to be applicable; to come under (a category); to fulfill; to hold true
to stick into; to pierce; to run into
calculated; premeditated; considered
inside one's heart; in one's mind
to have one's faults exposed; to have one's secrets blown
the real criminal; true culprit
to devise; to arrange; to plan; to plot
close friend; bosom friend; buddy; crony; chum
normally; ordinarily; by anyone's standards; by normal standards; without any issues; without any difficulty
to amuse oneself; to make merry
remaining quantity; residual quantity
deep voice; rich voice; full voice
when it comes to the cause; when you get right down to it; as for what started it; as for the reason; originally
in terms of both ... and ...; from the perspective of ... as well as ...; whether it be ... or ...
to wager; to bet; to risk; to stake; to gamble
digital voice recorder; field recorder
optical illusion; hallucination; misapprehension; delusion
to ask a question; to ask questions
physical examination; medical checkup; frisking; pat-down; search
to become sodden; to swell up; to become lazy
having one's back to the wall; having nowhere to go; having no way out; not having another chance
sink (e.g. in a kitchen); cruising (e.g. taxi); strolling (entertainer, musician, etc.); washing area (in a Japanese-style bath); back-washing service (in a public bath); floating (something on water)
to hesitate; to hold back; to be reluctant; to be unwilling; to have loose painful bowel movement; to suffer from tenesmus
to hold back others from achieving success; to stand in the way of; to sabotage
sleeping pill; sleep medication