declining birth rates; decrease in the number of children
permission; allowance; acceptance; tolerance; pardon
to hold on to something (secret, lead in a race, etc.)
letter breaking off with someone; Dear John letter
leisurely post; do-nothing job; sinecure
thief; burglar; robber; theft; burglary; robbery
feeling of disappointment; sense of dismay
guardian; mentor; protector
to establish; to formulate
decline; degeneration; decay; waning; ebbing
still; even now; to this day
handsome; shapely; clean-cut (features)
mature in age and wisdom; middle-aged
sale; selling; selling point; gimmick; seller; vendor
transition; change; progress; passing (of time)
clearly evident; quite obvious; as clear as day; beyond any doubt; strikingly apparent
(giving) instruction; initiation
resemblance; likeness; similarity; analogy
to come around to do; to become inclined to do; to get excited about; to take an interest
to fall through; to come to nothing; to be ruined
external; foreign (e.g. relations); public (e.g. image)
unable to compete with; not able to make a dent in (e.g. a problem); not able to get a solid hit in (e.g. in a fight); hard to chew
God's will; heaven's decree; mandate of Heaven; one's life; one's lifespan
(examination) failure; rejection; disqualification
increased volume or quantity
European pear (Pyrus communis)
not revealing (thoughts, feelings); not breathing a word
Hyottoko; comical male character with puckered, skewed mouth; clown; ugly mug; ugly guy
malicious; deliberately mean
bed bath; sponge bath; blanket bath; toilet
ending up right back where one started
busying oneself about (something); being on the move; bestirring oneself; on the go; taking an active interest