The extreme formality with which he addresses these officers carries an important subtext: your problem, sir, is deciding what you want me to do, and my problem, sir, is doing it.

There, an important subtext was the injustice of the "justice" system, but was rarely dealt with in therapy.

Nor can they adequately explain an important subtext: why it has taken the nation - and civics books, which frequently gloss over the problem - so long to come to grips with this ugly legacy.

Race has already become an important subtext to the campaign; each camp insists it is steering clear of race, while suggesting that the other side is not.

But the most important subtext is the clash of styles each semifinal represents.

Like the cold war, Iraq and the war on terrorism provide an important subtext to American politics without being daily concerns of most voters, said Andrew Kohut, president of Pew.

American "petroleum security" was an important subtext to Secretary Powell's visits today, American officials said.

The important subtext of the show, however, was Mr. Mapplethorpe's radical refusal to make distinctions among his subjects, whether they be human faces, nude bodies, flower blossoms or penises.

As with his longer works, his outward themes often carry important subtexts.