Mr. Miele, an engineer, has been energetic in trying to bring about change at one of of the most hidebound agencies in city government.

Isabella laughed, that husky sexual chuckle which she knew could stir even the most hidebound misogynist.

Some of the most hidebound bosses were only willing to work with men with roots in their own village.

And she is the most hidebound and rigid.

Even the most hidebound will feel obliged to mix it up this season.

"Historically informed" performances have plunged deep into the 19th century, affecting the way even the most hidebound modern-instrument orchestras must do business.

Baseball is the most hidebound of American sports.

Hill folk are the most hidebound of all.

Kurt Masur conducts a rich mix of 20th-century works in styles that even the most hidebound Philharmonic subscriber should find palatable.

General Motors was one of the nation's most hidebound companies, one that seldom hired outsiders even for low-level executive posts.