Word: formality
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Showing up to a party and seeing three other girls wearing the same backless jersey dress from Urban Outfitters can really crimp your style and ruin an otherwise excellent night. Those hoping to avoid a twin fiasco at the next House formal now have a new option just down Mass. Ave.—Vintage Revenge. “Our society is very disposable, and vintage is not,” said owner Denise Goldhagen, who opened her shop in mid-August after closing her previous vintage store in Montana. “It’s all been brought...
...when does a high-level White House adviser become a czar? No one knows for sure, since the term itself has no formal definition. Essentially it's a media creation - the White House rarely even acknowledges the title - used as a snappy shorthand to identify and describe the array of policy officials swarming the West Wing. And it's hard to blame reporters; unwieldy official titles are often begging for a rebranding (Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, for example, doesn't stand a chance against drug czar). Counts of Obama's czars range from the high...
...told the Wall Street Journal. "It's a symbolic gesture of the priority assigned to an issue." Sometimes, however, symbolism matters. John Koskinen, the Clinton Administration adviser responsible for overseeing Y2K preparation, was cited by the National Journal for his successful use of the role. Though he had no formal authority, Koskinen could convene White House meetings and Cabinet secretaries knew he had the President's ear on the issue. At one meeting, agency heads who had been dragging their feet on preparing their computer systems were called to the carpet by Vice President Gore and asked to get with...
...While no formal terrorism charges have been filed against any of the men, authorities believe the 24-year-old Zazi may be the cell's ringleader. An FBI affidavit says Zazi admitted under questioning to receiving weapons and training from al-Qaeda, and a series of searches in New York City turned up evidence that Zazi may have been looking to manufacture either truck or backpack bombs. Zazi and his father appeared in federal court in Denver on Sept. 21; Afzali appeared separately in federal court in Brooklyn. The trio currently face up to eight years in prison, though officials...
...Baucus unveiled his bill last week. His Senate Finance Committee begins its formal markup of the legislation on Tuesday. And still no Republicans have signed on. Despite the Montana Senator's unshakable confidence that his push for bipartisanship will bear fruit, it is looking increasingly likely that Democrats will have to go it alone on health care - or at least virtually alone, with Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, the one moderate Republican who has remained open to supporting the bill. Walking down the corridors of the Senate on Sept. 17, I encountered a senior Senate Democratic aide whistling Simon & Garfunkel...