1.   Instead of having an hourglass figure, whose curves suggested motherhood and domesticity, she was boyishly slim.

2.   The curve shown suggests a positive feedback that works towards disaster.

3.   A steep curve suggests faster growth, a flat one, sluggish growth or recession down the road.

4.   For the moment, though, the yield curve suggests bond investors are betting the Fed will move swiftly to prevent the economy from overheating and quell inflation.