The 1990s therefore was the "lost decade" when the economy contracted or grew at a paltry rate.

Yet, even though I don't think musicians should automatically accept any kind of paltry rate just because it's more than the £0 they get from piracy, I don't agree with Hopkins.

Most of the rest get private lawyers, who are paid paltry hourly rates - $25 out of court, and $40 in court.

The national economy grew at a paltry annual rate of one-half of 1 percent during the second quarter, the Commerce Department announced nearly two weeks ago.

According to their figures, the balance was $189,000, plus whatever paltry rate of interest the bank was paying.

That will take time for the economy to heal more and for the Government to establish the private pension funds that it hopes will increase the paltry rate of domestic savings.

The American market managers who would be most interested in operating the pension funds think that any restrictions would backfire on the Mexican Government's aim of increasing the paltry rate of domestic savings.

Even where sales had occurred, it found apartments moving at a paltry rate.

As President Bush has repeatedly pointed out, it pays a fairly paltry rate of return on contributions - unless, as he usually fails to note, you happened to earn a low income during your working years.

Jack V. Kirnan, an analyst with Kidder, Peabody, cautioned that the current period had benefited from bad weather in the previous 10 days, when sales ran at a paltry 5.9 million annual rate.