Word: shrug
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...signals of infinite variety. Overt, like a warm smile. Spontaneous, like a raised eyebrow. Involuntary, like leaning away from a salesperson to resist a deal. Says Julius Fast in Body Language: "We rub our noses for puzzlement. We clasp our arms to isolate ourselves or to protect ourselves. We shrug our shoulders for indifference." Baseball pitchers often dust back a batter with a close ball that is not intended to hit but only to signal a warning claim of dominance. The twitchings of young children too long in adult company are merely involuntary signals of short-fused patience. Any competent...
...customer's account shows huge cash deposits, frequent wire transfers of funds to numbered accounts abroad, and other evidence that the banker knows is suspicious? None of these businessmen can be expected to turn away the customer. He'll simply find another seller who'll shrug and say, 'Well, there's nothing illegal about paying cash. And what am I anyway, a one-man morals squad...
...assurances as any other vulnerable minority, and that your money will stay in the bank or be given to some other worthy cause, until those assurances are made. Write to Harvard and say you love this school and its history, but that you would love it more could it shrug off the legacy of neglect for others that colors its actions. Write Harvard and ask that it begin to feel some real sense of responsibility for its actions--on campus, in Cambridge and the nation, and around the world...
...heart attack may be triggered by unaccustomedly vigorous exercise or emotional crisis, but often it occurs during a period of little stress or activity, like sleeping. There are even "silent" heart attacks, accompanied by virtually no symptoms at all. Frequently the victim will shrug off the initial signs, even if the pain is quite strong, saying, "It's only indigestion." Some men have been known to do push-ups during an attack just to show they are all right. But such bravado can prove suicidal, because the greatest danger comes in the critical moments immediately after the attack...
...crushed, 303-119. The next step was the vote to replace the Jones resolution with the Gramm-Latta substitute. Shortly before the roll call, O'Neill admitted that the outcome was clear. "I'm not trying to change any votes out there," he said with a shrug. As for the Republicans his party needed for any chance to win, O'Neill observed: "They're kind of running for the woods...