Word: humorlessly
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From Tom Paine to William Lloyd Garrison, from William Jennings Bryan to Henry Wallace, American ideologues have been a humorless lot. In their devotion to a special set of principles, they have rarely cultivated the art of laughter-especially at themselves. It is perhaps symptomatic of the times that today's leading U.S. ideologue of the right is celebrated for his wit. At 42, William F. Buckley Jr. is that contradiction in terms, a popular polemicist...
...Massachusetts Bay Colony was hardly the place to look for a poet. It was an offshoot of England's Puritan century-righteous, suspicious, humorless and stern. The most trivial event seemed like a personal message from God to be read as a rebuke or reward...
...toward a Communist-type dictatorship, and installed Army General Humberto Castello Branco as President. Elected to succeed Castello Branco by a Congress subservient to the military and controlled by the government's ARENA Party, Costa e Silva has promised to humanize the revolution launched by his austere and humorless predecessor-but he has also made it clear that he intends to carry through on the many basic reforms that Castello began. So moved was he by the task facing him that at his first Cabinet meeting he broke into tears. "I hope to God," he said softly, "to live...
Police went after a few of the bombadiers, but they were pretty powerless against this sort of attack, all 3000 of them. They stood around about every 100 feet looking uncomfortable and humorless, but striving for that "objective" attitude which their chiefs had announced they would maintain. One officer, however, betrayed his feelings when two girls asked if they could cross in front of a part of the parade that was being held up at an intersection. "They might abuse you, but go ahead," he said...
...rugged appearance. For most of his 59 years, Romney has been a salesman--now he's the politician with the salesman's style. In public and private, he talks with the same force and verbosity; his speech is quick and idiomatic, and, at the same time, earnest and humorless without a trace of wit or sarcasm. He smiles incessantly, but his laughs are usually reserved for uncomfortable moments at press conferences when reporters prick him with those touchy questions he has no intention of answering...