As the United States and the Soviet Union seemed to be moving cautiously toward an agreement to remove their medium-range missiles from Europe, there was more contentious talk last week among officials concerned with arms control.

After fifteen months of sometimes contentious talks, on October 1, 1994, Japan and the United States concluded an agreement to open up three major Japanese markets to products from the United States.

After several rounds of often contentious talks, agreements were reached in April and July 1990 that promised major changes in such sensitive areas as Japanese retailing practices, land use, and investment in public works.

Such talks, often complex and contentious, can stretch into many months.

Southwest also has a profit-sharing plan, and most workers there, except for administrative staff, are unionized, notably the flight attendants, who won a 6 percent raise in June after two years of contentious talks.

A California entertainment company, Destiny Productions, has been lining up sponsors to pay for Mr. Bass's flight and leading sometimes contentious talks with the Russians on deadlines for getting the money.

The state's agreement with the Giants, signed last week, ended months of contentious talks.

All I heard was a lot of contentious talk.

Cooperation is essential, thus contentious talk is discouraged; gardening, the weather, and the mindless venality of the voting classes predominate.

The city, in contract negotiations with its public workers, is locked in increasingly contentious talks with the union representing 1,400 police officers.