21.   The delay was a minor irritant.

22.   Another delay is the last thing I need!

23.   The delay is only temporary.

24.   The delay was an inconvenience.

25.   These delays are just another instance of bureaucratic inefficiency.

26.   The delay will be minor.

27.   The delay had been the result of a period of frantic bargaining between the Likud and its smaller orthodox or nationalist coalition partners.

28.   It was alleged that the delay was deliberate.

29.   For others, the delay was due to the appalling state of Spanish railways.

30.   On the fourth round the tablecloth was cut to ribbons, and there was a delay while the ground crew put a fresh one in its place.