Today, the abortion language in the legislation is so limited that it represents little more than a symbolic concession to pro-life Republicans.

Yet the President doggedly continues to insist that he will not make even a symbolic concession on abortion.

Molly forced Kate into symbolic concessions like eating dinner with her instead of with Peter and then making it up to him later, or more likely, eating twice.

Tokyo's Quota Trick Count meaningless but symbolic concessions as one of Japan's newest exports.

The result of these meetings was that the Executive Committee agreed to nine largely symbolic concessions that modified the CPD's new proposal.

"White House is unwilling to make even a symbolic concession on abortion that might anger these groups."

And he had done so without offering anything more than a few symbolic concessions.

They were given enough symbolic concessions to win over the moderates, and the rest were repressed by the political police.

They were frequently left out in the cold and were fobbed off with symbolic concessions - such as a tatty play space instead of a decent nursery.

"The Lithuanians are asking for drastic change, even independence, and so giving them their cathedral was an easy, symbolic concession," he said.