serious; not joking; straight
to meet; to face someone; to co-star; to appear together; to be matched; to face against
engagement; business; affair; use; need
doubt; misgivings; distrust; suspicion
latent; hidden; secret; behind the scenes
to appoint; to nominate; to assume (responsibility); to pose as
whole; entirety; whatever (is the matter)
job; work; duties; trade; skill
to shoot dead; to bring down (an animal); to win (a prize, someone's heart, etc.); to make one's own
strong person; the strong; the powerful
knowing how to swim with the tide; being good at dealing with things
last (i.e. immediately preceding); previous; pre- (e.g. premodern); before; before; earlier
debit; withdrawal; pulling (one's opponent) down; frontal pull-down; hiki-otoshi
political maneuvering; politicking; political machinations
to ascend; to go up; to ascend (as a natural process, e.g. the Sun); to rise; to go to (the capital); to be promoted; to add up to
to hold back others from achieving success; to stand in the way of; to sabotage
to lean (to one side); to incline; to be unbalanced (e.g. diet); to be unduly weighted towards; to be partial; to be biased
popularity; favour; defense; defence; agreement; receiver of technique (e.g. in martial arts)
one's house; one's home; one's family
tree; shrub; bush; wood; timber
the other day; some time ago; recently
careful; elaborate; scrupulous
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
protection; safeguard; guardianship; preservation; conservation
so to speak; so to call it; as it were
fate; destiny (esp. as a mysterious force that binds two people together); relationship (e.g. between two people); bond; family ties; affinity; opportunity
to enclose; to surround; to shelter (e.g. a criminal); to shield; to keep (e.g. a mistress); to store (vegetables, fruit, etc.)
to recommend; to endorse (e.g. a candidate); to infer (from); to deduce; to think (something) through; to ponder deeply
persuasion by tears; using tears to get one's way; sob story
to fly up (as if dancing); to soar; to rise
clothes; garment; gown; robe; coating (e.g. glaze, batter, icing)
friction; rubbing; chafing; discord; friction; strife
bureaucrat; government official; bureaucracy
product; produce; result; fruit
the three powers of government (legislative, executive and judicial)
inside; within; while (e.g. one is young); during; among; amongst; in (secret, chaos, poverty, etc.)
(coming to an) agreement; consent; mutual understanding; accord; consensus
how long; how much; to what extent
to wring (towel, rag); to squeeze; to squeeze (fruit to extract juice); to press; to rack (one's brains); to strain (one's voice); to extort
claim; insistence; assertion; advocacy; emphasis; contention
to move (house); to transfer (department); to change the target of interest or concern; to elapse (passage of time); to be permeated by a colour or scent; to be infected
incidental (collateral) condition
to make someone drink; to force someone to drink; to serve (alcohol); to treat someone (to drinks); to be drinkable (esp. of alcohol); to be palatable
surprise victory; upset; coup