something small; something petty; trifle
swiftly; rapidly; suddenly; abruptly; sharply (of a slope, bend, etc.); steeply
ball; ball (pitch delivered outside the strike zone); board (cardboard, pasteboard, etc.)
puppet operator; puppet manipulator; puppeteer
sample; example; specimen; display model (e.g. plastic food models used by restaurants)
silence; stillness; quietness
The Chronicles (books of the Bible)
regular customer; general audience; general public
to shut out; to bar; to lock out; to exclude
foreigner; foreign citizen; foreign national; alien; non-Japanese
seeing off and meeting on return
industrialist; entrepreneur
daily publication; daily issue
our country; our land; one's own country
to pick up; to gather; to find (and pick up; something someone has dropped); to select; to choose; to get (unexpectedly); to hit upon (luck, an opportunity, etc.)
Marine Corps; Royal Marines
tough guy; wild one; veteran (in a particular field); expert; person of surprising audacity; someone with a lot of nerve
traditional; customary; conventional
often; again and again; over and over again; repeatedly; frequently
to take an attitude; to take a stance; to commit oneself; to assume a position
strong nation; powerful country
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
tolerable; passable; adequate; so-so