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这些形容词都表示一个人对待他人时的简短或不礼貌的语话方式。Brusque发源于意大昨语中一个表示粗鲁的词汇，它可以用于表示格外简短，快速或精练的说话方式，至于是否含有粗鲁的含义则取决于当事人的意图和环境。【A no-nonsense woman, the governess gave her employer a brusque handshake; Being in a hurry, he made an unintentionally brusque reply.】在最坏的情况下，brusque可以暗示不文明，无礼的尖锐以及过度的拘谨：a brusque dismissal. 相反，bluff一点负面的语气也没有，而是表示真心的坦白，一种缺乏手腕但有礼貌的直率。Bluff几乎只用于描述男人。Bluff的男人会大声地自由地谈笑，做和说他喜欢的事情而毫无畏惧，不会去思考是否扰烦别人或给他人造成痛苦：A bluff,beefy man,he didn't mince his words,but there was a twinkle in his eye. Blunt在一种意思上与bluff很相近，尽管它只能表示善意的直接。但是，与bluff不同的是，blunt更多的情况表示一种接近于无礼的令人措手不及的直率。它可以描写一种说话的方式，也可以描写人。【Shall I lie politely to you, or shall I be blunt?Be as blunt as you like—I won't mind your rudeness if you tell me the truth.】在另一种极端中，blunt 可以表示一种不为别人考虑的或无情的坦白。Blunt 的人可以说出不愉快的事，可能因为对他人感情的冷漠或是为了从折磨别人中获得乐趣。 Abrupt和curt都表示一种不愿配合的简洁，尤其是在回答问题时或回应别人请求帮助时：His laconic answers to my repeated requests for directions were both unfriendly and abrupt. Abrupt也可以表示令人不安的直接：an abrupt refusal. Curt比abrupt的语气要强，表示僵硬或冷酷的说活方式以及故意表现出不愉快的态度：a curt rejoinder.【I can understand being a little abrupt if one is really busy,but she always curt even when she's just passing time.】 Gruff和surly表示坏脾气或粗鲁的行为，但是它们没有bluff和blunt所含有的直接了当，也没有abrupt或curt所表示的过分简短的回答的含义。在它们两个之中，gruff更适合于男人，且最适合于表示性格。它描述一个人唐突，粗暴和易怒的态度或嘶哑刺耳的说话。【He'll grumble for minutes at a time when he's gruff and grouchy,but don't expect a straight answer from him then.】Surly 表示极度的不礼貌，可以适用于任何性别。它并太适用于别扭的心境，而是一种持久的对人的敌视——一种表现在说话和态度上的易怒和无礼的性情：a surly, insubordinate receptionist.【Give me the gruffest clerk in the world and I won't complain—just as long as I don't have to put up with that surly man in the credit department. I'll even take the blunt remarks about my figure from the woman in the dress departmnet or the curt answers of the credit manager when I ask to pay by check. Believe me, a surly saleclerk is far worse.】 反义词：diplomatic, gracious, mannerly, polite, tactful, unctuous, urbane. 翻译自《choose the right word》
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