to be sacked; to be fired; to be dismissed; to be beheaded
meritocracy; merit system
disqualification; unfitness; noncompliance
in general; generally; mostly; gist; point; main idea
to carry on one's back; to burden oneself (e.g. with debts, responsibilities, etc.)
completely changed; totally transformed
comrade in arms; war buddy; fellow soldier
one day; (on) a certain day
inconsequential; indifferent; not worth worrying about; whatever; whichever; I don't care
to lose interest (in); to grow less enthusiastic
festival; feast; carnival
one person; being alone; being by oneself; being single; being unmarried; by oneself
coloured glasses; tinted glasses; sunglasses; biased view; preconceived view
solitude; loneliness; isolation
using every trick (in the book)
you could say; you might say; verging on the
now (esp. in contrast to the past); now at last; at present; right now
in itself; the thing itself; this itself; for its own sake; per se
Bon holidays; Bon holiday period (in mid-August)
immediately; right away; at once; easily; readily
(piece of) writing; document; (act of) writing
in good health; alive and well; going strong
as before; as ever; as it was originally
difficult to ...; hard to ...
to get entangled; to get tangled; to have poor control over (one's tongue, feet, etc.); to trip over; to become complicated
love-hate relationships drama (movie, etc.)
combustibles; inflammables; flammables; burnables
stuffing; padding; stuffing (e.g. for roast meat); order problems with an intermediary seller
to remove; to eliminate; to eradicate; to exclude; to except
certificate; certified document; (the) thumbs up; seal of approval; paper with signature of the shogun or lord
eyeball; special feature; centerpiece; special program; loss leader; sunny-side up fried egg
life; vitality; verve; vigor; vigour; animation
to become misty; to become hazy
attitude; posture; preparedness; readiness