"welter" is a common word in English that can be used in a variety of contexts.
It can mean to toss or roll about in great confusion, as in "The children weltered around in the playground." It can also mean to be covered or soaked in a liquid, as in "The kitchen floor was weltered with water after the dishwasher leaked." It can also mean a jumble or clutter of things, as in "The back seat of the car was a welter of magazines, knapsacks, and jackets."
Or rather, I'm not afraid to say it any more – but it did seem rather awkward at the time, what with the welter of "how amazing is it?" text messages and the midwife barking at the weeping woman in the next bed that she was "going to have to get used to this".
On December 19th the government tabled a bill to establish a long-awaited national goods-and-services tax (GST) in place of a welter of state levies.
In quick succession last year, in the wake of the attacks on September 11th, the authorities introduced a welter of new measures including the US Coast Guard's Sea Marshall programme, the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and the Container Security Initiative.
In 2004 the state voted narrowly for Mr Bush, winning him the election, amid a welter of accusations about foul play at the polling stations.With the gubernatorial race a lost cause, most campaign effort is shifting towards the congressional fights.
And it is determined to crack down on the welter of arbitrary fees and taxes imposed by local party bosses on farmers and on people living in small towns.
In this welter of obesity, Frederick Stare played a role that was both vital and, at times, contradictory.Dr Stare could be judged as America's top nutritionist.
Six banks were criticised, two are still under investigation and only five were found to have complied fully with the Sorgfaltspflicht, the obligation to exercise due diligence when dealing with new clients.Just when the approval of a settlement between Swiss banks and victims of the Holocaust seemed to promise an end to a welter of bad publicity, Swiss banking is in the soup again.
It could also lead to a welter of lawsuits from investors.Reserves are a crucial asset for oil and gas companies, indicating the level of future production and revenues.
But suspicion is growing that the latest skirmishes may form part of a wider plan by the church to regain the grip on Italian politics that it lost in the early 1990s, when the Christian Democratic party collapsed in a welter of scandal.Under the leadership of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, head of the Italian bishops' conference and vicar of Rome, the Italian church has become increasingly assertive.
Yet the disclosures have also encouraged a welter of legal suits from civil-liberties groups.
To their welter of reasons the exclusion of some political parties, a raging cholera epidemic and the disenfranchisement of many on voting day they can now add an electoral council that doesn't seem to know how to count.
