In its place there is humor and compassion, and an understanding that diminished expectations might be better than shattered dreams.

And, as they often do before major milestones in his presidency, they are already trying to diminish expectations.

Isn't that an example of gravely diminished expectations?

But this and the other less-than-buoyant figures today did little to diminish expectations that another Fed tightening of monetary policy was already in sight.

She cautioned against the misuse of history to diminish expectations of the future.

"A lot of companies here have diminished expectations," said one executive who was previously a trade official.

Mr. Gore has cast himself as the underdog, a maneuver his aides said was designed to diminish expectations even further.

Many of the protagonists in these 11 stories display a similar mix of breeziness and diminished expectations.

Buchanan forces meanwhile are working to diminish expectations.

He may be trying to diminish expectations, but he is on record as saying that the best prospects in decades for a broader peace now exist.