raw materials; ingredients
to shoot dead; to shoot to death
extramarital sex; affair; fooling around; infidelity; wantonness; unfaithfulness
provincial city; provincial town; suburban city; regional towns and cities
regional cuisine; local cuisine
district; region; the country; countryside; civilian society
secret (recipe, medicine, etc.); mysteries (e.g. of an art)
materials; ingredients; material (for a novel, experiment, etc.); subject matter; grounds (for a decision, judgement, etc.); basis
acquisition; obtaining; procurement; getting (hold of)
to try all possible means
in the end; on top of that
apprenticeship; probation; learning by observation; apprentice; trainee; probationer
acquisition (esp. corporate); buy-out; takeover; bribery; buying off; corruption
to examine; to look up; to investigate; to check up; to sense; to study
ace up one's sleeve; trump card; secret skills; secret; (arch.) left hand
to change places (with); to be replaced (with, by); to be changed; to change (seats, shifts, etc.; with someone); to switch; to exchange
both (people); the two of them
grotesque; bizarre; weird; grotesque (style)
to catch; to capture; to grasp (e.g. meaning); to perceive; to captivate; to move (one's heart)
dryness; aridity; drying (e.g. clothes); insipidity
dwelling; house; residence; living; life
direct descent; direct line
ingredient; component; composition
to manufacture; to produce; to raise (crops); to invent; to dream up; to create
success; achievement; succeeding (in life); (worldly) success; prosperity
mom's home cooking; taste of mom's cooking; taste of home cooking; food like mom used to make
willpower; guts; determination; character; nature; disposition
to praise highly; to sing the praises of; to applaud; to acclaim; to admire
feces and urine; excreta; human waste
smell; scent; aura; whiff; faint, mist-like pattern along the temper line of a Japanese sword
minuscule amount; extremely small quantity
poison; toxicant; harm; evil influence; ill will; spite
good; goodness; right; virtue
supreme; sublime; highest
to see to it that ...; to make sure that ...; to try to ...; to make an effort to ...
specific gravity; relative density; relative importance; weight
speech and conduct; words and actions; words and deeds; behavior; behaviour; manners
I've heard that ...; rumour has it that ...; it appears as if ...
blushing; getting red in the face; embarrassment