Word: grated
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Normally, water in that area drains out through a grate next to the window, but Director of the Science Center Dean R. Gallant said he believed the drain was either frozen or clogged with debris...
...Morris' style. Quaint and engaging at first, her sentences meander through her paragraphs like a peaceful country road winding its way through the hills of Denmark. Yet, after a hundred pages of strolling through the highways and byways of Europe, the laid-back pace of the prose begins to grate on the nerves. Morris seems almost the quintessential kindly, old British matron and as a result, listening to her drone on is like having an especially long lunch with your grand-mother. She usually has good stories to tell, but, boy, does she ramble...
...Waltz of the Flowers was well choreographed, and though the too-familiar music may grate on the nerves in crowded shopping malls, here it retains some of its magic when accompanied by dancers gracefully simulating the opening and closing of flower petals. In the final pas de deux of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, Jennifer Gelfand and Robert Wallace were both excellent. Gelfand's solid technique, effortless jumps and unmatched turns made her variation a joy to watch, reaching a high point when she completed four and five rotations after her fouette turns--a feat seldom seen...
...make matters worse, the orchestra--at least on opening night--sounds about as professional as a high school band. Squeaky horns and missed notes grate on the ear, and the entire orchestra seems disjointed and badly synchronized: throughout the ballet, one can hear different sections starting and stopping where the transitions should have been smooth. Though easily overlooked, a good pit orchestra is absolutely essential to a good ballet, because the music truly is half the performance. A dancer draws energy from the music; when it's off, so is the magic...
Mariner is not happy with Flinn's negotiated discharge. Like many in the military, she believes that the bomber pilot manipulated public opinion to bypass an established if flawed system of justice. But as the military rules of romantic engagement grate repeatedly against our current excruciating sensitivity about gender and power, the rulemakers may increasingly find themselves factoring the public into their deliberations...