As often as not, the train is crowded during my commute.

The project stalled because there were too many chiefs and not enough Indians, with everyone giving orders but nobody doing the actual work.

The museum's new exhibit was not worth writing home about, but the cafe downstairs had excellent coffee.

My neighbor is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's always willing to lend a hand.

The new intern, not as green as one is cabbage-looking, handled the crisis calmly.

I tried the new restaurant, but the food was not so hot.

When discussing policy, remember the plural of anecdote is not data, so we need controlled studies before changing regulations.

She smiled demurely at the teacher — butter will not melt in someone's mouth — yet she had clearly cheated on the exam.

She acted as if butter would not melt in someone's mouth, while plotting the surprise party behind everyone's back.

After realizing the data was corrupted, we admitted the whole report was not worth a whistle.