retreat; falling back; recession; waning; backspace (key)
a long, long time ago; very long ago
starting (a machine, engine, etc.); starting (a project, plan, etc.); beginning; initiation
crossing (a road, river, etc.); cutting through (e.g. of a river through a town); crossing (east-west); traversing; cutting horizontally; sectioning laterally
left and right; right and left; (asserting) control; influence; one's attendants; people accompanying one
to sum it up in one word; ... is the word for it
head (of a household, etc.); leader; owner; proprietor; subject (of a rumour, etc.); doer (of a deed); guardian spirit (e.g. long-resident beast, usu. with mystical powers)
peacetime; time of peace; ordinary times; normal times
to get involved or entangled in; to get mixed up in; to have something to do with; to have dealings with
to send (someone) back; to send (someone) home
to choose (and take); to select; to pick (out)
inside this; in this; in here; among these; of this group; out of these
soul; spirit; willpower; vitality; something as important as one's own life; something invaluable
to ring an alarm bell; to sound a warning; to blow a whistle; to warn
standing facing each other (e.g. mountains, buildings); standing opposite each other; confrontation; squaring off against (adversaries, armies, forces); standing off against
to pick up; to pick out (e.g. key points in an article); to single out; to point out
to be photographed; to be projected
expectation; anticipation; purpose; intention; others' opinions of one; speculation
madness; craziness; insanity
to hold (in one's hand); to take (into one's hand); to own; to obtain
to change (into); to turn (into); to transform (into); to influence
clothing; costume; outfit; garment; dress
hair style; coiffure; hairdo
previous work; preceding work; previous title; first crop grown in a double-cropped field; preceding crop
-ish; -like; resembling; appearing to be; seeming to be
to shift one's attention to; to shift one's focus on
poor (living); barely continuing; just scraping along; very narrow
not necessarily so; is not always true; there is no guarantee that ...; there is no telling
common occurrence; everyday occurrence; not an uncommon case; normal thing; everyday affair
work (e.g. of art); piece; harvest; crop; technique
role; assignment; position (of responsibility); post; part (in a play, film, etc.); role
rival; competitor; competition
outside the scope (of); exempt (from); ineligible (for); not covered (by)
reliable; dependable; trustworthy; hopeful; promising
ability to take action; ability to take initiatives; energy; dynamism; drive