And suddenly, the drugs kick in, to prodigious effect and we're reminded what Shane Meadows does so well.
Chemicals that had entered the waterway amplified the already-prodigious effects of agriculture on the Gulf of Mexico, which has long suffered from an extensive dead zone caused by fertilizer-fed algae blooms that deoxygenate the water.
But there was more than a hint of weariness in his tennis on Tuesday, perhaps the effect of his prodigious efforts last year, when he won seven tournaments and yet — in a sign of how tough it is at the top — still did not improve his ranking.
In effect, it would have been the biggest fracking operation in history, releasing oil and gas from the shattered rock in prodigious quantities.The upshot, Dr Tohver believes, would have been a huge burp of methane into the atmosphere.
Nearby is Ward's Pond, where the installation "Emanations," by the New York artist James Boorstein, spans an even greater divide between minimal effect versus prodigious effort.
How then is this effect, the consequence of such prodigious velocity, guarded against?
The writing shows prodigious energy, but the final effect is sometimes obscure or diffuse.
His health began to deteriorate, probably an effect of his prodigious wartime travels.
His home-made wine was notoriously potent, but its consumption seemed to have no effect on his prodigious memory.
The waxing and waning of the moon affects the tides, as we all know, but lunar changes will have little effect on the prodigious flow of words pouring forth from the writer and performer Mike Daisey this month.
The first game was famously won, 1-0, in the 11th inning, when Darryl Strawberry hit a home run so prodigious it seemed like a special-effects gimmick from "Star Wars".
