Carsten Brzeski, senior economist at ING, said that the German data was a "growth normalisation" rather than a "disappointment" on its own, as Germany should still grow by at least 3% this year.
And he displayed such encyclopedic formal invention and technical virtuosity that the occasional bomb — like a series of umbrella-shaped flowered tea frocks in what looked like shower-curtain fabric, or a shapeless wool shift worn with a dowager's turban — were like a sorbet between courses rather than a disappointment.
This prank is only fun if the gift reached at the end pleases the recipient rather than being a disappointment.
Or is it, rather, a prescription for disappointment in oneself and in the "circumscribed world"?
Her electoral success reflects, rather, a mix of disappointment with Mr Sarkozy, despair at the level of joblessness, bewilderment in the face of globalisation, frustration at the impotence of Europe, and disillusion with the political class.
It expresses rather a certain philosophical disappointment that a definition can't be offered.
The Tories look set to lose the London mayoralty to Labour's Sadiq Khan, which is a disappointment rather than a surprise.
Fortunately the Clash quickly rebounded, making this a disappointment rather than an outright disaster.... and five that led to triumph Radiohead, The Bends (Parlophone, 1995) "Hey, are you the guys that did Creep?" No, piss off.
Saab's chief executive, Jan-Ake Jonsson, maintains that once the market returns to normal his company can be profitable, but his is a lonely voice.Volvo, which Ford acquired in 1999 for a hefty $6.45 billion, has been a disappointment rather than a disaster.
