The principal thrust of the "nucleic acids first" argument is as follows:

The principal Italian thrust was directed toward Epirus.

The principal thrust of the officer's speech struck all of us like a slap in the face: ". . . leaves must be cancelled."

Tactical move and counter-move, skill, stealth and audacious gunplay, these were the things being discussed and dissected, with compliments towards one's opponents being the principal thrust of conversation.

Unnerving, often forboding content is the principal thrust in the group of engaging paintings and drawings by Jim Byrne.

But Ms. Matson noted that in its apology, ABC News stood by the "principal thrust" of the "Day One" report.

As to the principal thrust of that broad policy, we must make a decision about Mortonridge.

"The principal thrust," he said, "has been to develop programs where diabetes patients and their relatives can receive a greater wealth of information and where the hospital stay can be streamlined."

The network said it stood by the principal thrust of the report, which it said was about whether cigarette companies "control the levels of nicotine in cigarettes in order to keep people smoking."

A principal thrust of Mr. Blair's successful campaign had been repeated pledges to run a Government free of the kinds of scandals that plagued his Conservative predecessor, John Major.