nucleus; backbone; medium-level; mid-level; main body (of troops); crack troops
celeb; celebrity; wealthy person; rich person; affluent; wealthy
with all one's strength; with might and main; as hard as one can
total amount (of money); total sum; sum total
having no money; lack of money
to swallow one's tears; to choke back one's tears; to hold back one's disappointment; to suppress one's mortification
capital investment; capital expenditure; investment in plant and equipment
to be possessed by an evil spirit; to be tempted; to give in to an urge; to succumb to temptation
setting (someone) to work; employment; using; causative
secrecy; confidentiality; privacy; one's circumstances (esp. fiscal)
revealing (information, a secret, etc.); disclosure; telling; letting out
head-on; to one's face; squarely; directly; flatly (e.g. refuse)
to become public; to become known; to come out in the open; to be formal; to be official
word of mouth; comments written online (about a product, service, etc.); online reviews
fully fledged; full-fledged; proper; competent; qualified; full-grown
heartstrings; koto string
ignorance; innocence; stupidity
win or lose; sink or swim; make or break; all or nothing
to speak sharply (e.g. during a heated discussion or argument)
all together now!; one, two, go!; ready, set, go!; heave, ho!; oops-a-daisy
to meet; to face someone; to co-star; to appear together; to be matched; to face against
dancing or jumping for joy
smelling burnt; tasting burnt; having a burnt smell
8th day of the month; eight days
the whole sky; the firmament; the heavens; the empyrean
(made of) stone; stone-built
clip-clop (esp. of geta); clink-clink (e.g. of metal on glass); clink-clank
road approaching a shrine
mikoshi; portable Shinto shrine carried through the streets during festivals; lower back; waist; hips
(shrine) repository or treasure house; (shrine) sanctuary
cart (esp. a food cart); stall; festival float; portable shrine dedicated to a god and shaped like a house; stage prop fashioned after a large building; framework (of a building)
well-known store; famous shop