unprecedented; never happened before; first time in history
fierce battle; hard-fought battle; hot contest; severe fight
stamina; endurance; physical strength; strength of an organization (e.g. profitability, productivity, economic clout, stability, growth potential)
bargaining; haggling; tactics; strategy
to sit on the edge of one's seat; to be in breathless suspense
fierce fight; close contest
close combat; close(-quarter) fighting; in-fighting
offense and defense; offence and defence
extended game; overtime; extra time; extra innings
striking (at something) and missing; swing and a miss; vain attempt
upper tier; upper section; place of honor; place of honour; dais; raised part of floor
roundhouse kick; turning kick
to regain one's breath; to catch one's breath
to overlook; to command a view of; to look down on; to despise; to look down on
defeat; loss; failing to live up to (one's name, looks, etc.); discount; loss (on a sale)
confrontation; opposition; antagonism
bugling (sound); honking; grumbling; complaining; car; automobile
to insult; to say something insulting about; to bad-mouth
to catch; to capture; to catch hold of (someone); to stop (e.g. a stranger in the street); towards (someone); at (someone)
space; interval; space character; whitespace
past; after; too (much); over- (e.g. eating)
to behead; to decapitate; to fire; to dismiss
preconception; preconceived notion; prejudice
dull (e.g. of movement or reaction); sluggish
to answer; to fire back; to retort; to redo; to do over; to try again
someone with a liking or characteristic; a true representative of (place)
to content oneself with; to be resigned to (one's fate); to be contented (satisfied) with (one's lot)
dark clouds; threatening signs; ominous indications
hopeless; futile; no use; beyond help; cannot be done
office romance; workplace romance; love affair with colleague
(one's) superior; (one's) boss; the higher-ups
tug of war (orig. a form of divination to predict whether the year will be favourable or unfavourable); forward puller (of a rickshaw)
shout (of encouragement, etc.); yell (used to time or encourage activity, e.g. "Heave ho!")
female office worker; office lady; overlap; orienteering
eyes sparkling; with shining eyes; for one's eyes to gleam
service; duty; business; Buddhist religious services
fiction; made-up story; fable; fabrication; myth
account of a dream; fantastic story; wild tale; empty dream
amount of force (required to do something); (using the) right amount of force; appropriate use of force