Finally, and anecdotally, managers say that the heroic cost-cutting that most businesses undertook during the recession and in the years since has largely run its course, leaving Corporate America with far less fat to trim in order to bolster cash-flow margins.

FORBES: EBITDA growth slows in 3Q as global economy softens

In the normal course of things, editorial work is relatively subtle, but there are famous instances of heroic assistance: Ezra Pound cutting T.

NEWYORKER: Rough Crossings

McCain seemed diminished, cutting less of a heroic figure than he started.

NPR: Media Report Election With Restraint ?? And A Wink