James L. Keller had neglected to tell his wife that he had become the first person outside the county's Corrections complex to "semivolunteer," as he delicately described his mission, to become an electronically monitored "probationer."

They were also denied access to reports concerning what they delicately describe as "sole-source contracts."

The tower was tacked on in 1962; Mr. Krings delicately describes it as "conservative modern."

But behind the bedroom door, the three encountered what Ms. Hersh-Weinberg delicately described as "a man and woman in bed, not sleeping, with the bed making noise."

The marriage collapsed after 19 years and three children and financial burdens that led to bankruptcy and what Ms. Haynes delicately describes as her "crash": a suicide attempt through an overdose of antidepressants.

In those columns Mr. Tanaka, who is single, frequently chronicles his dates, delicately describing their more intimate moments with a catch phrase he coined, "pero-guri," which Mr. Tanaka said, somewhat shyly, means "caressing and grinding."

Her presumed successor, Fidel V. Ramos, delicately describes Mrs. Aquino's administration, in which he served as Defense Minister, as "focused on transition to democracy."

Carl J. Goldberg, the chairman of the authority, delicately described the state agency's attitude toward the Jets without trying to offend the Giants.

In "Velvet and Lace (Schnabel Meets Baselitz)," from 1999, a woman wearing nothing but lacy stockings and suspenders bends over against a velvety dark-blue ground, "showing her behind," as Ms. Dumas delicately described it in her Afrikaans-accented English.

OBSERVING Mr. Rockefeller in action showed Ms. Wylde that "leveraging the power of very important people" was less labor-intensive than community organizing, although it did require considerably more of what she delicately describes as strategic planning.