1.   But as Downes spoke, with a helpless little shrug of his shoulders, the newly sharpened pencil of WPC Wright remained poised above the page.

2.   George looks at me with a helpless shrug, so I decide to make my move.

3.   Ask anyone about future plans, the inevitable answer is a helpless shrug.

4.   His only answer was a helpless shrug.

5.   He gave a helpless shrug, gesturing up at his fourth-floor flat, and choking with emotion, drove off.