The wavering of that communication band was first irking, and then raised the beginning of panic in me.

Irking California is familiar to Mr. Bush, who decreed broccoli as vegetable non grata at the White House in 1992.

The title roughly translates as "Hedgehog Irking," but the game is usually called "Hedgehogs in a Hurry" in English.

Half-blind, terrified and in dreadful pain from the gash across his face, Ryan Cawdor lashed out at the sm irking, triumphant face of his crippled brother.

A8 CANADA COURTS CASTRO'S CUBA Irking Washington, Canada's Foreign Minister and President Fidel Castro dined together in Havana, following the meal with joint but mild declarations on human rights and foreign investment.

To the Editor: Re "Klein to Alter School Week, Irking Union" (news article, June 13): I applaud Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein for consolidating the negotiated time increase with the teachers' union into a meaningful block of time for teacher training on the new citywide curriculum.

Therefore, the first order of business was to irk the man in return.

What did irk him was that he had not been given control of the circle.

He'd been looking for a way to irk Ruth, and no other could be better.

There are a few things that really irk the average Brazilian.

And inside wondered why she was so determined to irk everyone around her.

He was right about folding the first one, which only served to irk her.

She knew the smile he returned was meant to irk her.

Reports that Oracle is hard to deal with also irk him.

He believes such an outcome would only irk independent software companies.

He said some of his extreme statements had been a tactic to irk American officials.

Western countries are much more willing to irk Beijing than they used to be, for two main reasons.

But why irk even one fan who may have heard the result of the taped match?

There are no women in Valhalla to irk him, he would be welcome.

But marketing experts warn that the practice could irk consumers.

This reversal of roles, she had sensed, would irk him.

There weren't many people in the city he didn't want to irk, but she was one of them.

"Anything to irk the Elder," he was fond of saying.

He paused, then said: "Coming this close does irk you.

It was starting to irk me that he seemed childish, even harmless.

Is our divided intelligence here simply to irk you/we?

This morning he seemed to irk you with his monkish ways."

"How that must irk you, to see such a precious gift wasted."

No, something else has started to irk me.

How did the man manage to irk, entice, and entertain all at the same time?

To irk him, he thought, but tonight he ignored it.