It seems a sound principle, and incompetence was hardly unknown in the traditional, command-and-control model of public services.

ECONOMIST: David Cameron searches for his ��council house�� moment

It was an impressive feat, given that Ms Morrison was hardly unknown: she won the Nobel prize for literature in 1993.

ECONOMIST: Dumbing up

After all, swings in rates are hardly unknown, and in the past the companies have argued that their hedging strategies could contain all but the most extreme volatility.

ECONOMIST: No rest for America's two huge mortgage companies

Unlike with a variable-rate, Western-style loan, the borrower knows from the start how much the total payments will be (though of course fixed-interest loans are hardly unknown in the West).

ECONOMIST: A reader debate on Islamic finance

But he was hardly an unknown.

NPR: Assessing a Two-Person Democratic Race

Usmani is hardly an unknown entity.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Shariah��s Black Box

Mississippi Republicans could hardly believe their luck when Mr Fordice, an unknown businessman, won the governor's race in 1991.

ECONOMIST: Mississippi politics

Despite his prominent role in Washington he remains something of an unknown on the national stage, though he hardly is the first vice presidential pick to face that situation.

WSJ: Ryan Pick Jolts Race