sputtering

In the study, the researchers wrote that “while efforts to slow climate change may be sputtering,” people urgently need to take steps to preserve groundwater.

Their offense has gone from leading the majors in scoring over the first half of the season, to suddenly sputtering over the last month and a half.

Ron Washington took a page out of the characterized version of himself from the 2011 film “Moneyball” when asked about how difficult it would be to revive the Angels’ sputtering offense.

He started “Star Wars” as a self-absorbed teenager who refused to help Princess Leia, sputtering, “It’s not that I like the Empire — I hate it — but there’s nothing I can do about it right now.”

As a result, he dominated news coverage, looking bolder and badder than ever and leaving the Democrats looking like sputtering, defensive, fact-checking, umbrage-filled morality police.