top and bottom; high and low; going up and down; rising and falling; going and coming back; upper and lower classes
to do what one is told to; to take someone's advice; to listen to what someone says
to cut and even up; to cut several pieces to the same size
refreshingly; with a feeling of relief; shapely; neatly; cleanly; without trouble; clearly
smallish; on the small side
neutrality (incl. chemical, electrical, etc.); indifference; sexlessness; androgyny; neuter gender
to say; to be called; to do
disappointed; dejected; disheartened; indignant; angry
background; scenery; background (of an incident, situation, etc.); circumstances; backing; support (from behind the scenes)
everyone; everybody; all; everything; all
if that's the case ...; if so ...; that being the case ...
probe each other; sound each other out
core; heart (of the matter); point; crux; kernel
straightforwardly; being outspoken
to employ; to hire; to charter
surreptitious glance; looking furtively
outline; main points; generally; on the whole; general; rough
secret information; intelligence
darkness; the dark; bewilderment; despair; hidden place; secrecy
sharp sighted; easily awakened
odour; odor; scent; aura; whiff; smacks of ...
to sniff out; to get wind of
imagination; supposition; guess
(just) making sure; just to be sure; just in case; for caution's sake
management; (executive) staff; leaders; leadership; top brass; upper echelons
series; sequence; keiretsu (group); conglomeration of businesses linked by cross-shareholdings; affiliated; subsidiary
possibly; by some possibility; perhaps
some; few; somewhat; to a certain extent; (arch.) many; (arch.) a lot
expectation; anticipation; hope; promising; rising; up-and-coming
reality; actuality; hard fact
surface; face (i.e. the visible side of an object); front (of a building, etc.); obverse side (i.e. "head") of a coin; outside; exterior; appearance
circulation (money, goods, etc.); distribution; circulation (air, water, etc.); ventilation; negotiable (e.g. shares); distributional
one way or another; in many ways; in various ways
greed; cruelty; callous; (arch.) insistent; (arch.) insistence
making a killing; making easy money; robbery