moody, conductor, St. Elmo's fire, call the shots (or tune).With a Moody Modernist Vibe

Real Estate

• In Australia, an Old Victorian With a Moody Modernist Vibe

Cabinet post was a sharp change for a former Exxon Mobil CEO who was used to calling the shots


Instagram is stealing the show at Fashion Week, as legions of amateur photographers use the free iPhone app to turn camera-phone snapshots into moody compositions.


Whoever succeeds Mr Beitz there will continue to call the shots at the firm—and will loom large in German industry.

call the shots (or tune)

• take the initiative in deciding how something should be done:we believe in parents and teachers calling the shots

moody


IN BRIEF: Having frequently changeable and often negative emotions.

And moody madness laughing wild Amid severest woe. — Thomas Gray (1716-1771).

adj., -i·er, -i·est.

1. Given to frequent changes of mood; temperamental.
2. Subject to periods of depression; sulky.
3. Expressive of a mood, especially a sullen or gloomy mood: a moody silence.

moodily mood'i·ly adv.
moodiness mood'i·ness n.

St. Elmo's fire (saynt EL-mohz fyr)

noun: An electrical discharge visible at the surface of a conductor, as a ship's mast or an airplane's wing.

Etymology
After St. Erasmus (mispronounced as Elmo by sailors) who is regarded as the patron saint of sailors and an electrical discharge on the mast of a ship is believed to be a sign of his protection. This phenomenon of corona discharge is also called St. Elmo's light.

Usage
"When Capt Moody opened the door to the cockpit he saw the windscreen ablaze with a St. Elmo's fire -- a discharge of static electricity." — When Volcanic Ash Stopped a Jumbo at 37,000ft; BBC News (London, UK); Apr 15, 2010.

"Donald Holder's lighting design needed more pizzazz, particularly in scenes like the storm that sparks St. Elmo 's fire on the ship's masts." — Heidi Waleson; Taming the Whale; The Wall Street Journal (New York); May 4, 2010.

conductor
n.

1. One who conducts, especially:
   1. One who is in charge of a railroad train, bus, or streetcar.
   2. Music. One who directs an orchestra or other such group.
2. Physics. A substance or medium that conducts heat, light, sound, or especially an electric charge.
3. A lightning rod, as on a house or barn.

conductorial con'duc·to'ri·al (kŏn'dŭk-tôr'ē-əl, -tōr'-) adj.
conductorship con·duc'tor·ship' n.