wise; sensible; well-advised; intelligent; sagacious; prudent
calamity; disaster; catastrophe
motherland; fatherland; native country
to keep away; to keep at a distance
by all means; at any cost; whether (one is) willing or not; willingly or unwillingly; on no account; by no means
to have an eye on; to zero in on
proceeds from sale; receipts
percussion; tapping; examining by percussion; sounding out (someone's intentions); making an approach (about)
invincible; unrivaled; unrivalled; matchless; unbeatable; undefeatable
Bucharest (Romania); București
barely keeping a business going (analogy that a bicycle falls over when its wheels cease rotating)
hemiplegia (paralysis on one side of the body)
situation; (present) state of affairs; circumstances
to stand in (someone's) place; to be in a (certain) position
natural rubber; India rubber; caoutchouc
fox (esp. the red fox, Vulpes vulpes); fox (i.e. a sly person); soba or udon topped with deep-fried tofu; light brown; golden brown
to go down and stand; to alight; to get down
letter (of alphabet); character; writing
omitting (reluctantly); leaving out; dropping; giving up (reluctantly); parting with; sharing
elite; best; pick; cream of the crop
admiration; wonder; astonishment
tough; strong; stiff; tenacious
several years; a few years
in drops; dripping; gently (sloping); sluggishly; endlessly; leisurely
10^12; 1,000,000,000,000; trillion; sign; omen; indication
to invest in; to sink money into; to put into; to lay out (funds); to inject; to impregnate