brusqueness

Claude Lanzmann's special genius was a spectacular brusqueness, which allowed him to reveal, as if with no effort at all, the patterns of thought that protect enormities under a cloak of niceties.

"You're a lot more courteous with randos," I said, attributing my own relative brusqueness to years growing up in Delhi, warding off potential creeps.

"My parents lived in Scotland for 25 years and there is an integrity and courage particular to a certain sort of Scot which is often mistaken for terseness or brusqueness. In the end, that type of personality will win out over anything flashing.

Despite their brusqueness and bravado, they know they have to tread carefully.

The expression on its face was indifferent and did not correspond to the machete wounds on his body (exaggerated and open) and its whole body seemed to reflect brusqueness, apathy and indifference.

He entertained the new immigrant royally at Taliesin, and Mies responded gratefully, "This is a kingdom." When Wright collided with Gropius in a chance encounter, on the other hand, he treated this other refugee from Nazism with coarse brusqueness; and when Le Corbusier was touring America and asked to come see Wright at Taliesin, he flatly refused.

Walking like a man, speaking as men do, and adopting an unnatural, masculine brusqueness (9) was the only effective way for a virgin to protect herself from unwelcomed advances--to suppress her femininity and take on the characteristics of a man.

In terms of technique, it is a mixture of reductionist brusqueness and fragile elegance: In the lower part of the picture, Pils has created an emphatic visual weight with dominant black tones; two handle-like overhangs, which initially look like eyes, make this part of the canvas also vaguely legible as a jug or a vase.

His brusqueness seemed to dampen their commercial instincts.

This brusqueness disconcerted me, forgivable as it might seem on the part of a chef in the heat of the kitchen.

Admittedly, a day on the publicity carousel, being filmed while chatting to 40 journalists one after the other in five-minute blasts, does sound pretty draining, but with others telling similar tales of his brusqueness, I had written the actor off as rude.

Mr Brutus said he was dismayed by the "brusqueness and discourtesy" of the letter which he presumed was an expression of the views of the Welsh club.

The charm of Woolf's reincarnated naivety rubs against Angela's brusqueness; the coolly patrician Woolf charms doormen and even manages to carry off the expensive wardrobe Angela buys for her, despite Virginia's initial unwillingness to bathe.