happy; auspicious; propitious; naive
New Year (esp. first three days); first month of the year; January
member of an assembly; member of the Diet; member of parliament; member of Congress
projected to win; sure to be elected; home free
(matter) for congratulations; worthy of celebration; happy (occasion, ending, etc.); naive; too good-natured; gullible
not officially announced; non-public; unpublished
winning a prize; receiving an award; being awarded
tourism association; tourist association; tourism bureau
time of departure; (on the) point of departure; just as one is leaving
to become one tile away from completion; to be at one's wits' end; to be about to blow one's fuse
silver prize; silver award; silver medal; second-place prize
special award; special prize
three (long cylindrical things); three-of-a-kind (in a dealt hand)
(logical) true; regular; 10^40; ten duodecillion; original; positive
certificate of merit; testimonial
supplementary prize; additional prize; auxiliary prize; bonus prize
100,000; hundred thousand
spread (e.g. of a disease); rampancy; infestation; proliferation; being widespread
defeat; loss; failing to live up to (one's name, looks, etc.); discount; loss (on a sale)
status; position; method; way; rule; regulation
to recommend; to endorse (e.g. a candidate); to infer (from); to deduce; to think (something) through; to ponder deeply
favoritism; favouritism; partiality; prejudice; bias
initial screening (of applicants); preliminary screening
to catch (a wild animal or fish); to capture; to hunt; to win (a title, prize, etc.); to conquer
difficult to say which of the two is better; hard to tell which is better; (there is) little to choose between them
to carry forward (i.e. on a balance sheet); to transfer
(preliminary) skirmish; prelude; preliminary encounter; warm-up match (e.g. before a final)
dramatic (improvement); remarkable (difference); marked; (far) better; exceptional
ume liqueur; Japanese plum brandy; unripe ume infused in liquor (esp. shōchū) with added sugar
four-eyed; pattern of four squares
kickoff party; rally; pep party
one cup (of); one glass (of); one drink (of alcohol); full; filled (with); fully; to capacity
toast; congratulatory cup
easy to drink; easy to swallow; quaffable
for a while; for some time; for a period
to put all one's skill (into doing something); to do something to the best of one's ability
to open one's eyes wide (in astonishment, wonder, etc.); to be wide-eyed; to be amazed
pleasantly warm; nice and warm; repeatedly (hitting someone); again and again; over and over
human relations; personal relationships
lubricating oil; lubricant; lube; person or thing that makes things run smoothly; facilitator
juice; soft drink (usu. fruit-based); sweetened drink
chūhai; shōchū highball; cocktail of shōchū with tonic water
to pour (into a vessel); to fill (a cup, bowl, etc.) with; to dish out (food or drink)
staring-out (down) game; game in which two children looking at each other try to make the opponents laugh first; constant looking at something (e.g. the computer screen, the clock)