"Maybe," Mott reasoned, "she was just going through an awkward stage."

Single people who follow up on chance encounters with e-mail are finding that the awkward first stages of a relationship can be made easier online.

It's a tall order for a city of five million and Chóngqìng is going through a fascinating awkward stage.

The authors calculate that red and blue have reached what might be an awkward stage in their inward spiral.

My brother was in the most awkward stage of adolescence-not boy, not man.

He was entering that awkward stage of early adolescence and had become a somewhat ungainly-looking boy.

It's somewhat embarrassing to see myself go through all the awkward stages of growing up.

"We offer games and alcohol to get the crowd past those first awkward stages, and then they're left to their own devices."

Even journalists have taken pity on Chelsea, pointing out her "awkward stage" at every television appearance.

It's what most people refer to as the awkward stage.