WordWealth: infrangible

in·fran·gi·ble , adj.

An infrangible bureaucratic hierarchy runs the place. At the bottom are the clerks, furiously active as they fill out the forms and file or transfer them. Over them are the senior clerks, spared by their subordinates' efforts from any such grueling labor. Above these are the deputies, more leisured still; and finally, the registrar himself. He is a grand personage who arrives long after the others, who never touches a file, whose sporadic orders filter down through the ranks and who, to all appearances, does nothing but think and frown. —— Richard Eder; Rising Out of Dust, a Glimmer of Hope; The New York Times; Oct 4, 2000

Because of the terrorist attacks, interest has surged in frangible ammunition, which is available from a variety of manufacturers. Frangible ammunition uses pre-fragmented bullets which shatter into many small pieces upon impact, thus eliminating the risk that a bullet might over-penetrate its target and hit an innocent bystander. —— Dave Kopel; Unintended Consequences; The fruits of hysterical antigun lawsuits; National Review; March 6, 2002

Marshall also advocated arming pilots and placing Air Marshals on planes, pointing out that there is only minimal risk of "frangible bullets" penetrating the shell of a plane. Even if a bullet did rupture a wall, the pilot could repressurize the cabin and bring the plane in for a safe landing, he said. —— James A. Swan; Sheep No More; The nuts and bolts of defense against terrorism; National Review; Sept 22-23, 2001

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