To give way and bend; to give in and do something against one’s wish（膝などががくがくになる、反対・プレッシャーなどに屈する）

→“Her knees buckled when she saw the heaps of work to be done.”

→“The politician buckled under pressure and withdrew his demand.”

Changing suddenly and unpredictably; whimsical（きまぐれな、あてにならない）

→“I am sick of the capricious weather.”

→“I don’t want to depend on the whims of a vain, capricious old man.”

A person with no motivation or plans in life; someone who habitually misses paying their debts or rent（意欲や人生計画のない人、借金や家賃を踏み倒す人）

→“We are unhappy that our only daughter is dating an unemployed deadbeat.”

→“The landlord has to be ready to take risks from deadbeat tenants.”

To bring about an intended result（意図した目的を達成する）

→“I am not confident that I will be able to effect change in our organization.”

→“The president knows how tough it is to effect a political change.”

To reject; to drive away（拒絶する、追い払う）

→“The company fended off its competitor’s bid for hostile takeover.”

→“I wear this crucifixion necklace to fend off evil spirits.”

A person who spends a lot of time with a powerful or rich individual in the hopes of getting some advantage from them later on（将来の利益を目当てに権力者や富豪者に付きまとう人）

→“The new prime minister is surrounded by numerous hangers-on from all corners and all walks of life.”

→“When he lost his fortune in the financial crisis, all his hangers-on suddenly disappeared.”

To successfully get over a difficult place（困難な場所や状況を上手く通り越す）

→“He had an accident because he could not negotiate a sharp corner.”

→“The senior diplomat was able to negotiate a potentially explosive stage in the peace talks.”

To investigate by asking a series of sharp questions（鋭い質問をして調査する）

→“I don’t mean to probe into your personal life, but let me ask you this one question.”

→“Scientists are probing the mystery.”

→“At the public hearing, the senator was asked some probing questions.”

1. To hold up something so it will not fall（落ちない・崩れないように支える）

→“Still lying in bed, she propped herself up on an elbow.”

→“We decided to install additional columns outside to prop up the building.”

2. To provide financial support so the recipient may continue to exist or function（存続できるように財政援助を与える）

→“I hate to ask anyone to prop me up, either emotionally or financially.”

→“The government announced that the tax cuts are designed to prop up small business.”

A dilemma（ジレンマ）

→“I am in a quandary over the two options.”

→“The nation is facing an energy quandary in the aftermath of the power plant accident.”

Arranged and scheduled to happen at a particular time（ある時期に実現するよう予定・計画された）

→“The former ambassador is slated to appear at the speech contest next fall.”

→“A new work rotation is slated for the factory.”

A private conversation between two parties（二者の間での話し合い）

→“A young couple was having a tete-a-tete on the bench.”

→“May I have a tete-a-tete with you this afternoon?”

To erase the cumulative effect of something; to lose all the cumulative good that one has done over a course of time（何かの効果を除去する、長年積み立ててきた実績をふいにする）

→“If you start smoking again, it will undo all the good that you have accomplished in your health these 5 years.”

→“The recently uncovered mafia link will likely undo the congressman.”