It had then seemed as if death had already marked him with its grim sign.

Fish kills of trout witnessed by anglers in the Raritan River were grim signs of simmering water temperatures in recent weeks and a parched July in general.

This was regarded as a grim sign by analysts, who noted that companies are increasingly resigned to accepting that in the long term, the dollar will not move much higher than its current levels.

Virtually every man took it as a grim sign.

And the Mafia viper, though hacked to pieces and scattered to the four winds, was still showing grim, reflexive signs of life.

It was a grim sign for T.W.A. and Pan Am.

Then early last week, in a grim sign for the White House, he said he was rethinking that.

A particularly grim sign for Mr. Major is the contemptuous tone of pro-Conservative newspapers.

A grim sign of the change is that for the young, life is harsher than it was for their parents.

There was the grim sign of death from the blanket that totally covered what had been a gallant German spy.