on the ropes, midnight deadline, Gulliver. "Good morning, Mr Trump." The innocuous greeting from a New York judge belied the grim expression on Donald Trump's face as he sat flanked by his lawyers in the Manhattan Criminal Courts Monday, settling in for a long criminal trial.

"Good morning, Mr Trump."

The innocuous greeting from a New York judge belied the grim expression on Donald Trump's face as he sat flanked by his lawyers in the Manhattan Criminal Courts Monday, settling in for a long criminal trial. 

Read more: https://u.afp.com/5ATc

Ta-ta T1

The world’s third-busiest airport is having a momentous week

ECON.ST

 Is Apple on the Ropes?
When Apple this week announced its first drop in profits in a decade, and fudged a little on when new products will be rolled out, investors and consumers wondered if the company's glory days are over. Wharton faculty weigh in.
(Posted on April 24, 2013)

“Google has Microsoft on the ropes, and China is arguably the world’s most important market outside of the U.S. You don’t walk away from that on principle.” 2011.5

BP Arctic Deal on the Ropes

BP and Russia's Rosneft will fail to reach a deal to buy out BP's Russian partners and salvage their Arctic exploration alliance before a midnight deadline. But talks are expected to continue over the next few weeks.

‘Feel a Bit Like Gulliver

‘Feel a Bit Like Gulliver’: Peek Inside a 100-Year-Old Royal Dolls’ House

idioms:

on the ropes

Boxing forced against the ropes by the opponent’s attack.

in state of near collapse or defeat:behind the apparent success the company was on the ropes

on the ropes

1. Sports Knocked against the ropes that enclose a boxing ring. Knocked against the ropes that enclose a boxing ring.
2. On the verge of defeat or collapse; hopeless or powerless.

the end of (one's) rope

1. The limit of one's patience, endurance, or resources: After six months on strike, the workers were at the end of their rope.
2.  
3.  Tomorrow, the Davies Commission, which was set up to recommend the best way to add extra air capacity to London and its environs, reports. London is desperately short of runways, and the choice has come down to adding a third runway at Heathrow, a second one at Gatwick, or perhaps some sort of fudge. With all eyes on the Davies Commission, it was easy to overlook that this week was a momentous one for Heathrow for another reason: the retirement of Terminal 1http://econ.st/1g7jEq5
   
    
4. Definition of fudge

   noun

   • 1 [mass noun] a soft crumbly or chewy sweet made from sugar, butter, and milk or cream.
   • [as modifier] chiefly North American rich chocolate, used as a sauce or a filling for cakes: a fudge cake hot fudge sundaes

   • 2 an attempt to fudge an issue:the new settlement is a fudge rushed out to win cheers at the conference
   • [mass noun] archaic nonsense: I hope your marriage will cure you of your silly fudge

   • 3a piece of late news inserted in a newspaper page.

   verb

   [with object]

   • present or deal with (something) in a vague or inadequate way, especially so as to conceal the truth or mislead:the authorities have fudged the issue
   • adjust or manipulate (facts or figures) so as to present a desired picture: the government has been fudging figures to make it look as though targets have been met

   exclamation

   dated

   • nonsense! (expressing disbelief or annoyance): ‘You know how she despises me!’ ‘Fudge! She dotes on you’

   Origin:

   early 17th century: probably an alteration of obsolete fadge 'to fit'. Early usage was as a verb in the sense 'turn out as expected', also 'merge together': this probably gave rise to its use in confectionery. In the late 17th century the verb came to mean 'fit together in a clumsy or underhand manner', which included facts or figures being cobbled together in a superficially convincing way: this led to the exclamation 'fudge!' and to noun fudge (sense 3 of the noun)