11.   He had seen them through the lean years, and here now was a good harvest.

12.   All this is a pleasant change from the lean years.

13.   Also during those lean years, in order to spare the expense of the boating season, many owners did not commission their boats.

14.   American marathon running has been going through lean years.

15.   Americans have not lacked for hard training, so their lean years have been something of a mystery.

16.   American Express is recovering from several lean years caused by customer defections and losses from unpaid charges on its Optima credit card.

17.   And even after they bought the farm, there were many lean years.

18.   And like many private eyes, McKenna has had more lean years than fat ones.

19.   And in lean years, the board would be stuck with more than it could sell.

20.   Betty had seen her husband through professional school, skimped and saved in the early lean years, car-pooled the kids and cheered from the sidelines at soccer games.