before one knows; before one becomes aware of; unnoticed; unawares
one must constantly be on one's guard with ...; one cannot be too careful of ...
ridge (of roof); back of a sword; counter for buildings, apartments, etc.
fast approach; quick intimacy
to pile up; to stack; to load (car, ship, etc.); to pack; to acquire; to accumulate
root (of a plant); stump (of a tree); root (of a problem, etc.); base
the mere shadow of one's former self; the ruin of what one once was
(common) soldier; rank and file; army; troops; warfare; strategy
won't; hasn't; isn't; won't you
(illegal) dual bookkeeping; two sets of books
secret accounts; second set of accounts
thousands; several thousand
throughout; over a period of ...; over a span of ...
unique; peculiar; singular
essence; kernel; spirit; pith
tightly (packed); densely; closely; crammed
no problem; all right; not an issue; unobjectionable
karate; being empty-handed; having nothing in one's hands
reference data; reference material
movie; film; motion picture
digital versatile disc; DVD
cartoon; comic; comic strip; manga
large quantity; massive (quantity); mass (e.g. mass production, mass transit, mass destruction)
subtle; delicate; difficult; complex; doubtful; questionable
that's the way it is; such is life
system; lineage; corollary; system (range of strata that correspond to a particular time period); (taxonomical) series; -type
group with a common interest (e.g. students); club (e.g. company sports club); circle; circle (shape)
sports-minded; sports-oriented
same; similar; (just) like; equal
purpose for which money is spent; the way money is spent; how goods are used
to find fault (with); to cavil (at); to carp (about); to throw a wet blanket (on); to throw cold water (on); to jinx
century; hundred years; (fig.) a long time
there being no use in arguing (about it); not up for discussion
measure; step; dealing with; medical treatment
circumstances; conditions; situation; reasons; state of affairs
very; extremely; terrible; horrid; remarkable; extraordinary
one sen; one-hundredth of a yen; small amount of money
unfairness; injustice; partiality
research society; study class (e.g. religious); seminar (e.g. presentation of research)
doll; puppet; marionette; puppet (person under the control of another); straw man; yes-man