suffix noun:

• just under; a little less than; just short of

noun:

• husband being henpecked; house where the wife is the boss; petticoat government - four character idiom

pre-noun adjectival:

• only ...; no more than ...; a matter of

expression / noun or verb acting prenominally:

• which can exist solely due to the presence of; whose existence is determined entirely by; which owes everything to - emphatic version of あっての ➜ あっての・こそ

expression:

• losing everything; coming to nothing; having lost the interest and the principal

expression:

• leave no room for scandal; don't do anything that can be misinterpreted; don't straighten your cap under a plum tree (because when you raise your hands it might look as if you're trying to steal the plums) [literal] - proverb

noun:

• way of hearing; way a spoken statement is taken; way of asking

expression / adverb / ~の noun / adjectival noun:

• exactly the same; exactly as is; without any change

noun:

• (possibly) defective item; as-is item; item sold as is

noun / ~する noun:

• the situation reverses itself; the table is turned; the shoe is on the other foot - four character idiom

expression / adjective:

• cannot (do); it is impossible that...; it is (highly) unlikely that... ➜ はずが無い

noun:

• grasping the trend; firmly understanding how the situation is developing; getting a good sense of how things are changing - four character idiom

expression:

• you can get used to living anywhere; home is where you make it; wherever I lay my hat is home - proverb

noun:

• safety myth; myth that something is completely safe (e.g. nuclear plant); safety dogma

expression:

• all that one has; all that there is; the whole ➜ 有りったけ

expression / ~くる verb (spec.):

• it's my turn; the ball is in my court; it's up to me - idiom

noun:

• temporary employment; a temporary job while looking for a better job; work just to kill time - four character idiom

expression / godan ~く verb:

• to improve; to get better; to convalesce

~の noun / ~たる adjective / ~と adverb:

• divergent opinions abound; opinion is divided; there are many rumors afloat - four character idiom

expression:

• if you do a favor for somebody, you will get a return favor; if a fish is friendly toward water, water will be kind to the fish too [literal]; you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours - proverb ➜ 魚心あれば水心

noun:

• putting on a brave face; put-on cheeriness; pretending one is fine; show of courage; bravado; Dutch courage

expression:

• means; is; as for ➜ って

noun:

• object representative of a divine spirit; object to which a spirit is drawn or summoned; object or animal occupied by a kami ➜ 形代

expression / godan ~う verb:

• to improve; to get better; to convalesce

noun / adjectival noun:

• idle and incompetent; accomplishing nothing significant nor being capable of doing so; lacking the talent to do anything but idle away one's time - four character idiom