natural disaster; cataclysm
(in) secrecy; behind closed doors
guess; speculation; supposition
engineer; technical officer
scholar; academic; scientist; learned person; person of learning
to become exaggerated (of rumours, etc.); to become embellished
more than anything; above all else
easy; simple; informal; offhand; cheap
promptly; quickly; without delay; before others; first
to prevent (something) from occurring; to forestall; to avert; to nip in the bud
fellow traveler; fellow traveller; travelling companion; taking someone along unwillingly (e.g. in death); forcing to take part
head; chief; boss; leader
underground activity; underground activities; underground movement
friend; companion; comrade; accompaniment; companion (e.g. book); complement
sense of justice; feeling of righteousness; moral sense
to succeed (someone); to take over from; to pick up the torch
to establish; to formulate
mismatched; odd; irregular; inconsistent; incoherent; confused
(Platonic) ideal (of how things ought to be, e.g. human rights); foundational principle; idea; conception (e.g. of the university); doctrine; ideology
discussion; deliberation; consideration; investigation (into a suspect); inquiry; enquiry
to bear in mind; to keep remembering; to note
emphasizes direct object of action
protuberance; bulge; protrusion; rise; uplift; upheaval
to connect; to join; to join or tie or knot together
highway; freeway; expressway; motorway
service area; toll road rest stop; rest area
in search of; in order to look for
schedule; program; programme; agenda
degradation over time; time-related deterioration
guaranteed; authentic; certified
to project; to stick out; to stand out
arbor; arbour; bower; summer house; square gazebo
police substation; residential police box
trouble; quarrel; difficulties; complication; tangle
to take advantage (e.g. of a weak situation); to size up (e.g. customer when setting a high price)
koku; traditional unit of volume, approx. 180.4 litres; measure of a Japanese-style boat's loading capacity (approx. 278.26 liters)
to intrude; to butt in; to meddle; to be forward; to be self-assertive; to show off