Out of order; messy（混沌とした、目茶目茶な）

→“There was utter chaos in the village. It was a world gone awry.”

→“I finally made it to the office through the violent winds, my freshly permed hair totally awry.”

A strong defense（強固な防護・防衛）

→“A separation of powers between executive, legislature and judiciary is meant to be a bulwark against the abuse of power.”

→“Consumers and investors serve as a bulwark against credit default.”

To prepare oneself for a long and difficult battle or problem（長期に渡る難解な闘争や問題に腰を据えて取り組む）

→“As the recession continues, we have to dig in and patiently wait for things to start improving.”

→“Clashes turned violent as the government forces dug in.”

Energetic, lively and full of fun（エネルギーと活気に満ち溢れた、はしゃいだ）

→“He is a frisky young boy.”

→“You are just recovering from a long illness. Don’t be frisky now, all right?”

A small, isolated area（小さな隔離された地域）

→“Poland is the last island of economic stability in the European sea of instability.”

→“Most of the continent was struck with the plague except for a few scattered islands of relative health.”

Power; energy（電力、エネルギー）

→“The innovative firm invented a machine to get juice from paper shreds.”

→“The AKB48 concert really got my juice going.”

A complicated and difficult situation（複雑で困難な状況）

→“I am in a morass of legal problems over my immigration status.”

→“The new company is thriving where others find themselves in a labor morass.”

To pressure or persuade someone to comply with one’s wish or intent; to strongly encourage（自分の望みや意図に迎合するよう圧力をかける、強く勧める）

→“We don’t believe in pushing our values on people. We disseminate facts so they can make informed decisions.”

→“The government is pushing the opposition parties to let it pass a new tax law.”

→“The secret of my success is that I have always pushed myself to do my very best so I wouldn’t have any regrets later.”

→“We of course encourage our children to study diligently, but we are very careful not to push them too hard.”

To fasten someone’s attention with strong interest or fear（誰かの関心を強く引き付け釘づけにする）

→“The audience was riveted as the magician made the young lady disappear.”

→“This book offers a riveting peek at the Tokyo underworld.”

To support the continued existence or operation of something or someone; to experience some injury or illness or loss（維持する、持続させる、ダメージなどを被る）

→“He keeps changing his jobs because he is incapable of sustaining good relationships with his coworkers.”

→“President Obama is trying to hammer out a new fiscal policy that would sustain the nation’s economic recovery.”

→“The football player sustained serious damage to his left shoulder.”

→“After the nuclear leak, it was found that some residents sustained exposure to unusually high levels of radiation.”

A sparkling decorative strip used for Christmas and other occasions; something that appears valuable or important but in fact not so（クリスマスの時などに使用するキラキラ光る装飾用の紐・糸、外見は高価・重要に見えるが実はそうでない物）

→“During the Christmas season, I love sitting back and listening to tinsel stories on the radio.”

→“Behind all that publicity and tinsel, the school is only a second-rate institution.”

An unlikely feature or change that was unexpected（予想しなかった意外な特色や進展・結末）

→“It is an economic miracle with a socialist twist.”

→“The mystery writer gave a surprising, spectacular twist at the end of the story.”