crosspurposes

In their eagerness to escape the doctor's scathing tongue, the two ensigns were working at crosspurposes.

The Beast That Resembles A Poem(A Handy Resource for Architects,Engineers, and Students) 2010

(Yes We Can interrupted a more important campaign message.) - People-powered Networks and top-down campaigns can be allies, but they have crosspurposes, too.

Pre-liveblogging my talk at Politics Web 2.0 (heh) 2008

(Yes We Can interrupted a more important campaign message.) - People-powered Networks and top-down campaigns can be allies, but they have crosspurposes, too.

Pre-liveblogging my talk at Politics Web 2.0 (heh) Sifry, Micah L. 2008

Rigorous logical adherance to rigid religious belief is the thing that is at crosspurposes with a tolerant pluralistic society.

Mario Cuomo on “Religious Belief and Public Morality” 2004

She lengthened her stride just as Plus shortened its and she didn't know if she should laugh at their crosspurposes.

Damia's Children McCaffrey, Anne 1993

Both approaches are valid, of course, but their needs, priorities, costs, and objectives are so vastly different that people working at the two extremes may appear (even to themselves) to be working at crosspurposes.

2 The Reality 1992

Winston had the feeling that they were talking at crosspurposes.

Nineteen Eighty-Four 1949

Last year their expectations were raised to the highest pitch, and everything promised an abundant harvest of wealth and glory: the present state of affairs was somewhat clouded with reverses and crosspurposes.

Adventures of the first settlers on the Oregon or Columbia River 1913

Thanks for such penetrating insights into the complex, ethically-fraught, and often confused inner workings of a newsroom grappling with a reporter in harm’s way; with decisionmaking that is usually parceled out–at crosspurposes–among family, editors, security contractors, the government and the public.

Was the NYT wrong to conceal David Rohde’s kidnapping? Yes. » Nieman Journalism Lab 2009

There may be an issue there and I’ll look at it, but it looks a little at crosspurposes.

The September 2007 Bear Market in NASA Temperature "Pasts" « Climate Audit 2007