painful; difficult; distressing; (psychologically) difficult; straitened (circumstances); tight (financial situation)
from one's side; from the side (of something); from someone unconnected; from someone uninvolved
where ... is concerned; when it becomes; if it becomes
acquisition (esp. corporate); buy-out; takeover; bribery; buying off; corruption
stock; share; stump; (clump of) roots; plant with attached roots or stem; strain (of bacteria, etc.); stock company
and then; and so; and; so then
keep ...-ing; have been ...-ing; leaving (something) on; leaving (something) still in use
father; dad; papa; pa; pop; daddy
self-deprecation; self-derision; self-mockery; laughing at oneself
ardent; passionate; vehement
in swarms; in great crowds
to be cold (to); to ignore (someone)
silence (not speaking); muteness
feeling refreshed; feeling relieved; neat; tidy; frank; open-hearted; completely
non-disclosure agreement; NDA
contract; compact; agreement
to exchange (messages, greetings, arguments, etc.); to intersect; to cross; ... with one another; ... to each other
to mix; to combine; to exchange (words, fire, etc.); to cross (e.g. swords); to join together
for today; for the time being
to pile up; to stack; to load (car, ship, etc.); to pack; to acquire; to accumulate
leaving; going home; quitting one's job; free time; leisure
dawn; daybreak; end; soon after something has ended; beginning (of a new year, month, etc.)
gently; mildly; leniently; don't be too hard on me (us, them); go easy on me
October; tenth month of the lunar calendar
eighth day of the month; eight days
as (much) as possible; as (much) as one can; wherever practicable; if possible
first (of all); firstly; probably; most likely; more or less (satisfactory); on the whole
on the way; en route; in the middle of; midway; halfway
company secret; industrial secret; trade secret
when it comes to ...; if one were to speak of ...; by ... you mean ...; when you say ... you mean that ...; whenever ...; if it's ... then (without fail)
performer; entertainer; celebrity
twosome; duo; pair (of criminals)
sample; example; specimen; display model (e.g. plastic food models used by restaurants)
suitable person; well-qualified person; responsible party; responsible person
to telephone; to make a phone call
answering machine; answer phone
verbal message; word (from someone)
excuse me for disturbing (interrupting) you; greeting used when entering someone's home
to help; to assist; to aid; to contribute to; to be a factor in
to respond; to answer; to meet (e.g. demands, expectations); to affect; to take a toll; to strike home
fifth day of the month; five days
finishing early (e.g. work, a game); entering elementary school a year earlier than others