1.   Analysts say the worst has probably passed for Sony, and investors seem to be hopeful.

2.   At the risk of getting hung up on, I predict the worst has passed.

3.   Even after the road dried up enough to let traffic in, a lot of people refused to believe the worst had truly passed.

4.   NEC expects the worst to have passed.

5.   Other Mets mused along the same lines, feeling better about themselves but not fully prepared to claim that the worst has passed.

6.   Some overseas hedge funds and other investors are betting that the worst has passed and that the potential for gains now outweighs the risk of further losses.

7.   Still, Miss Castillo is confident the worst has passed.

8.   The national weather service here said that the worst had passed and that the weather should improve in the next few days.

9.   The next morning, Mrs. Perez said, they thought the worst had passed and settled down to breakfast.

10.   He told the Economic Club of Chicago that he believed the worst had passed.