Arthur Waugh's own childhood had been desperately short on affection (family lore referred bluntly to his father as "the Brute") and his overcompensation took the most extravagant forms.

He was also very Jamaillian, urbane and occasionally intolerant of what he bluntly referred to as'the Six Duchies attitude' towards his morality and hahits.

He was referring rather bluntly to the apparent desire among prosecutors to see Martha Stewart - the subject of his current book, "Martha Inc." (John Wiley & Sons, 2002) - found guilty of, well, anything.

In an interview, he referred bluntly to the intransigence of "hard-liners" who had opposed his efforts to moderate the policies concerning women in Kabul's hospitals, where exemptions from Taliban rules have allowed women doctors and nurses to continue working.

Frowns appeared at his bad taste in bluntly referring to such an awkward matter.

Critic Leonard Maltin bluntly referred to the film as "A great concept that doesn't quite pay off."

Danny shows no interest until Ana bluntly refers to his overdose as a "stupid stunt."

In the title story, the narrator bluntly refers to himself as Harold Brodkey, and while the names change in the other tales, the author's close identification with his narrator remains the same, as does the basic cast of characters.

Gary Kamiya of The San Francisco Examiner bluntly referred to the film as descending "upon the hapless viewer like a vast load of pachyderm dung."

In response, temple leaders referred more and more bluntly to the rabbi's self-admitted conduct, giving some members the impression that the board was intent on distancing the temple from further questions about the rabbi's behavior.