Word: customs
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During supper, Aunt Bessie would continuallyask me if I wanted anything. According to custom,I always had to refuse twice--politely--beforeaccepting. Since we were family, Aunt Bessieusually skipped the three offer pas-de-deux andproceeded to reload my plate upon my firstrefusal. These reinforcements often includedsurprises like potato salad, pound cake, homemadeice cream and sweet potato pie. Amazingly, I wasalways able to finish off whatever was given tome. I guess she had a way of being able to discernexactly when I was about to burst, a term I don'tuse lightly...
...accordance with Danish custom, theprince did not comment on any matter that might beconsidered political. He said, however, that hisknowledge of political science would allow him toanalyze his country's situation and, as king,participate in the Danish government behind thescenes...
...those who live there, Bosnia is a child's worst nightmare, a land where horror is the custom. Fathers disappear. Friends die. Neighbors flee. Food is short, bombs fall and suffering is a way of life. The familiar names of cities and towns have turned into symbols of destruction, siege, massacre, "ethnic cleansing...
...yearned for Billy's virago mother Elsie to accept her. Billy, for his part, spent his time in bed with other women or at Belair, his beloved racing stable. Finally, on a chilly October night in 1955, after years of not-so-private misery, Ann picked up a custom-made shotgun and blew Billy's tiny brains out. She had mistaken him for a prowler who was, in fact, walking about on the roof at that moment. "There's only one worse thing Ann could have done," joked an acquaintance the day after the shooting. "She could have shot...
Overwhelmingly, U.S. and European military experts warn against getting involved. Yugoslavia is almost custom designed to frustrate any peacekeeping, or peacemaking, force. The terrain is mountainous, perfect for ambushes and hit-and-run operations. Many of the irregulars are well trained and are skilled in guerrilla warfare. The weapons they would use against an intervening force are small, portable and abundant. Western analysts point out that the fathers and grandfathers of today's fighters tied down 30 Axis divisions for four years during World War II. The generals would prefer another Desert Storm: an obvious enemy, a clear military objective...