It is not normal to have just a smooth, easy ride through a World Cup qualifying.

VOA: standard.2009.06.07

It's sort of this velvety, smooth, world-weary voice that seems to be untouched by time.

NPR: Dylan's Legacy Keeps Growing, Cover By Cover

Big emerging economies will need to be given a larger stake in the smooth running of the world economy.

ECONOMIST: Playing leapfrog

Political change in the Arab world will be neither smooth nor immediate.

ECONOMIST: Osama bin Laden