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Literary notes about Robustious (AI summary)

In literature, the adjective "robustious" is deployed to evoke a sense of vigorous, unrestrained passion and a physically or emotionally imposing presence. Writers use it both to denote the brawny, courageous qualities of characters—for instance, a lion-tamer sharing the creature’s resolve [1] or a soldier marching like a "robustious champion" [2]—and to highlight an extravagant style marked by excess and flamboyance, as seen in descriptions of actors or speakers whose booming, animated delivery rouses an entire crowd [3, 4]. At times, the term subtly critiques a kind of overblown mannerism, suggesting that excessive vehemence, like tearing a passion to tatters, can verge on the absurd [5, 6]. Thus, "robustious" serves as a versatile descriptor, encapsulating both physical sturdiness and a display of unbridled, sometimes ostentatious, emotional expression [7, 8].
  1. The lion-tamer, who enters unscathed the den of his charge, must share the robustious courage and determination of the beast with which he associates.
    — from Hunting in Many Lands: The Book of the Boone and Crockett Club
  2. Displaie my banner with a good courage, march foorth like strong and robustious champions, and begin the battell like hardie conquerors.
    — from Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (3 of 6): England (6 of 9) Richard the Third, Third Sonne to Richard Duke of Yorke, and Uncle to Edward the Fift by Raphael Holinshed
  3. The robustious voice of Captain Le Mesurier sounded from the hall.
    — from The Philanderers by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason
  4. To draw your steps, it is the showman’s privilege to make what blare he please upon the sidewalk; to puff his cheeks with robustious announcement.
    — from Journeys to Bagdad by Charles S. (Charles Stephen) Brooks
  5. [D] ‘O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion into tatters.’
    — from English Costume by Dion Clayton Calthrop
  6. Oh, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious, periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the
    — from Violin Mastery: Talks with Master Violinists and Teachers by Frederick Herman Martens
  7. Robustious means making an extravagant show of passion.
    — from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare
  8. From Dick you could expect nothing but health and cleanliness and robustious conventionality.
    — from Witness for the Defence by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason

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