The Democrats' retreat came after months of hard pounding over war funding.

ECONOMIST: Iraq

He admitted there was still much hard pounding ahead - but seemed convinced that the recent mildly positive financial results were the first signs that the leap onto Microsoft's platform rather than Google's was working.

BBC: Nokia and Sony - in the recovery room?

So, with three months to go, it is back to hard-pounding in a few states.

BBC: Reading the US election runes

As his troops were being blown apart by French artillery at Waterloo, the Duke rode up and told them to stand firm and take the "hard-pounding".

BBC: Ashdown says Lib Dems should 'take pounding and stand firm'

The first 10 minutes are NOT to be missed, my heart was pounding so hard I though it would leap out of my chest!

BBC: X-Men 2: Your views

We follow along as she evolves from an innocent, overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells of the male chauvinists who dominate the trading floor, to an astute observer of what goes on amid the hard-drinking, fist-pounding, foul-mouthed mob.

ECONOMIST: Chicago's trading pits: Singer in the last-chance saloon | The