noun:

• shoe; ferrule (of an umbrella); butt end (of a lance); hard tip (of mushroom)

noun / adjectival noun / ~の noun:

• with an open and calm mind; without reserve; with utmost candor; with no preconceived notions - four character idiom

expression:

• just safe (e.g. just avoiding being late, failing an exam, etc.); just (barely) OK - colloquialism - abbreviation ➜ ぎりぎりセーフ

noun:

• involuntary upgrade; operational upgrade; free upgrade to business or first class on an overbooked flight - abbreviation ➜ インボランタリーアップグレード

noun:

• secret (method, trick, etc.); mysteries (of an art, trade, etc.); key (e.g. to success); recipe

noun / ~する noun:

• reading while standing (in a bookstore, etc.); browsing (i.e. reading an item but not buying it)

noun / ~する noun:

• laughing at an inappropriate time; not being able to hold back one's laughter
• scornful laughter; snicker; snigger - colloquialism

noun / ~する noun:

• racing (of an engine); spinning one's wheels; running idle
• fruitless effort; going nowhere; going round in circles

noun / ~する noun:

• heating a vessel without water in it; heating an empty pan, kettle, boiler, bathtub, etc.

expression / ichidan verb:

• to accept an offer; to be charmed by someone's kind words and do as he wishes

noun:

• post-retirement job; work done by a retired person where earning an income is not a primary concern - four character idiom

noun:

• impractical desktop theory (proposition); unworkable idea; an idea that isn't worth the paper it's written on - four character idiom

noun:

• donothingism; do-nothing, plan-nothing (government, etc.); being an idle onlooker taking no steps to meet the situation - four character idiom

noun:

• mysterious turtle (an omen of good luck) ［しんき］ - obscure term
• Jinki era (724.2.4-729.8.5); Shinki era

noun:

• cap cloud (cloud shaped like an Asian bamboo hat that forms at the peak of a tall mountain)

noun:

• automatically responding with an upload slot to someone who allows you to download (e.g. in P2P systems) - abbreviation - IT term ➜ カウンター・モニ

noun:

• bodyguards in service of the shogun who would walk ahead of him on an outing (Edo period)

noun:

• monk who attends to the principal image of a temple
• Buddhist monk serving at an attached Shinto shrine

noun:

• monk who attends to the principal image of a temple - abbreviation ➜ 供奉僧
• Buddhist monk serving at an attached Shinto shrine

adjectival noun:

• comprador-like; being an underling to a foreign company to the detriment of one's own country

noun:

• homa stick; stick on which prayers are written, then ritually burnt before an idol to ask for blessings - Buddhism term

noun:

• misedashi; debut of an apprentice geisha; ceremony in which a shikomi becomes a maiko ➜ 仕込み【しこみ】・舞子【まいこ】

expression / noun:

• having one's own premises ➜ 部屋持ちの親方【へやもちのおやかた】
• Edo-period prostitute successful enough to have her own room in an establishment - abbr. of 部屋持ち女郎

expression:

• you can do anything if you set your mind to; even an ant's thoughts reach the heavens [literal] - proverb

noun:

• samya mandala (in Shingon); mandala where each deity is represented by an object (lotus flower, gem, sword, etc.) - Buddhism term ➜ 四種曼荼羅【ししゅまんだら】