Word: aback
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...Wallace did not know why a halfway meeting with Marxist Russia has proved impossible, the reaction of his audience might have given him a clue. Communists hissed every criticism of Russia. Obviously taken aback, he flinched. Once he looked up from his text and said imploringly: "I realize that the danger of war is much less from Communism than it is from imperialism." He was apparently frightened out of using at least one phrase in his prepared text-a reference to "native Communists faithfully following every twist and turn in the Moscow party line." He was also going...
Some Washington newsmen, who knew that dickering for another Big Three meeting had gone on as recently as six weeks ago, were taken aback. Pundit Walter Lippmann wrote an angry column taking the President to task for another "offhand remark." In a querulous tone he asked whether the President intended to turn over General MacArthurs administration of Japan to the UNO Security Council-an eleven-nation body in which five nations have an unchallengeable veto...
Farewell to Easels. Ordinary artists, who like nature's looks (though they dress her up to suit themselves), might be taken aback by Hiler's description of abstractionism as "... that final step which would enable me to have freedom from the esthetic chaos of my surroundings. ..." They would be even more annoyed to hear what Hiler thinks is in store for them. He believes that color photography has ended the day for "representational" painting. He sees the artist of the future as a "color consultant, color engineer, and industrial designer...
...took the transition into a world where "men are men" in her stride. At first the Navy's odd terminology baffled her. She was taken aback when a male officer, discussing uniforms for WAVES. said he thought they should be designed so that blouses could be removed in the office. When another officer talked about "procuring" 10,000 women, Miss Mac's eyebrows climbed. But she quickly caught...
...peacetime,' replied Johnston, 'we certainly would.' The entire table looked incredulous. Johnston was taken aback. He turned to me for confirmation. On my return from England, sitting next to Jesse Jones at lunch in Washington, I turned to him. 'And why not?' asked our Secretary of Commerce...