He was sweating heavily and his thigh muscles were twitchy from the steepness of the climb.
Always twitchy at any hint of instability, it has plenty of reasons to fret.
Removing their immunity would favour British firms, which are generally less twitchy about operating under other countries' laws.
Relations with neighbours, even twitchy ones like the Baltic states, have generally improved since Mr Putin took over.
That should make him less twitchy about the fate of a few divisions.
The steady crumbling of these sanctions has made the Iraqi Kurds exceedingly twitchy.
International oil and diamond companies, operating concessions awarded by the government, are growing twitchy at the threat of attack.
Haunted by the prospect of another bout of fratricide, with each party controlling large militias, ordinary Kurds are twitchy.
At the count in Xalapa, the state capital, party officials looked twitchy on Sunday night as the lead changed hands.
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We can relish the latest clash of styles between cosseted, serene Silicon Valley and twitchy, aggressive Wall Street.
Muslim countries, worried about the way in which the internet undermines conservative social mores on nudity and mingling, are twitchy too.
Whether you blame George Osborne, the eurozone or a vengeful deity, the fact is that many Tory backbenchers are getting twitchy.
One JPM board member is especially likely, in my opinion, to be the twitchy one if regulators start to exert pressure.
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Ever twitchy about China's intentions, South-East Asian countries hope he means it.
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Had Steve'n'Steve packed up there and gone home, we'd be twitchy with excitement to see the review unit arrive at our door.
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The country both the government and people in general is twitchy about foreign meddling.
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Relatives of some victims are boycotting the court, and donors look twitchy.
The left understandably is getting twitchy about its horrible performance in the aftermath of glittering election promises and trillions in bailouts and deficit spending.
But it is a twitchy Israeli foot-patrol that watches the sightseers, and forbids cross-border sales of ice cream, while the Ghanaians look on unconcerned.
On the off-days toxins built up, making him bloated and twitchy.
Alan Duncan, long Mr Hague's close friend, is short and twitchy.
Daragh Maher, a senior currency strategist at HSBC, told the BBC that France was probably more "twitchy" because numbers were showing its competitiveness to be declining.
Despite his re-election last month, Rome's mayor, Francesco Rutelli, twitchy about losing his bid to bring the Olympics to Rome in 2004 (Athens won), is nervous.
No wonder that other ministers in the three-party coalition led by Bulent Ecevit, the leftish veteran whose unwise words set off the crisis in February, are feeling twitchy.
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Her minders from the ruling National Resistance Movement, the party run by her husband, President Yoweri Museveni, get a bit twitchy when asked about Mrs Museveni's rapturous talk.
Had Steve'n'Steve packed up there, we'd be twitchy with excitement.
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UN's headquarters in New York, the securocrats are increasingly twitchy.
But the big task for America now is to reassure the Poles and other twitchy ex-communist countries such as the Baltic states, that it remains committed to their defence.
In his black leather jacket, Duris is an anxious little hot shot with a twitchy, feral snarl that comes close to the reflexive grimace of the dangerous young Jean-Louis Trintignant.
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