His clients described the atmosphere at the court as something reminiscent of the siege itself - cramped stuffy place, where they had to sit for hours getting bored to death by the slow grinding law machine.

BBC: Chaos in court for Moscow claim

Our economic machine has been grinding for 65 months trying to hit prerecession levels and it's not clear whether or how we're going to get there.

CNN: Christensen: We are living the capitalist's dilemma

On the other hand, viewers who treasure Clooney, both as actor and director, for the deftness of his comic touch, or who remain alert to the grinding farce of the electoral machine, may prove harder to woo.

NEWYORKER: The Ides of March

That money has oiled the gears of a banking machine that was grinding to a disastrous halt, lifting worries that euro-zone banks would lose access to funding as they tried in vain to raise money from unwilling investors.

WSJ: Euro Crisis Clouds Global Outlook

If you're tired of seeing those poor excuses for universal docks that connect via USB 2.0 -- most of which can't even export video without bringing your machine to a grinding halt -- you'll be elated to know that Belkin has upped the ante on the lackluster alternatives with its Notebook Expansion Dock.

ENGADGET: Belkin unveils ExpressCard Notebook Expansion Dock

If the idea of not grinding your own beans on a specially selected grinder before carefully packing them into a second machine offends you, this is not for you.

FORBES: Holiday Gift Guide: World's Coolest Coffee Makers