Eldridge closed the despatch-case with a snap and, rising briskly, walked down the corridor to his solitary table in the dining-car. Mulligatawny soup, poached turbot, roast leg of lamb—the usual railway dinner.

...had to deal with Reagan's gang and even with a picklehead like Senator D'Amato...

Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver ball.

A mineral having a drusy cavity is sometimes called a geode.