Italy's economic illness is not the acute sort, but a chronic disease that slowly gnaws away at vitality.

ECONOMIST: The Berlusconi era will haunt Italy for years to come

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal famously gnaws his trophies when he wins.

CNN: Why Olympians bite their medals

In fact, many radio sales departments are horrified by the rate at which Pandora gnaws at its once-trustworthy advertiser base.

FORBES: Buy Pandora, Sell Zynga and Fire Its CEO

What gnaws at me is the Federal Reserve Board surely has run out of bells and whistles for economic stimulus, as well.

FORBES: This Is The Way The World Ends

Others long to click that fabled link that will finally allow them to update their relationship status with a hunger that gnaws at their heart.

FORBES: Make Your Facebook News Feed Stop The Rings And Babies

But his take-home pay has fallen by nearly a third and the thought that his brother may have to drop out of school so he can help the family gnaws at Mr. Zhang.

FORBES: Why Do Some Chinese Workers Have Such Long Work Weeks?

No 1930s French-style malaise gnaws at its core.

FORBES: An Inspiration and a Regret

Depending on who you believe, perfecting the console could take six to 12 months, which will seem like donkey's years to gamers, but infinity to Sony, which will have to sit back and watch as Microsoft's XBox 360 gnaws into its market share.

FORBES: Magazine Article