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Literary notes about Unsavory (AI summary)

Literary authors employ the term "unsavory" to evoke both moral and sensory distaste. It can describe an individual's dubious character or reputation—as seen when unsavory individuals are noted for their questionable dealings or behavior ([1], [2])—or signal an unpleasant sensory experience in environments, food, or objects ([3], [4], [5]). In some contexts it is used metaphorically to underline a pervasive atmosphere of decay or corruption, hinting at social or ethical degradation ([6], [7]). Moreover, the adjective can color both narrative and dialogue with a sense of foreboding or repulsion, reinforcing readers' perceptions of moral or aesthetic impurity ([8], [9]).
  1. Two other enemies of Washington had unsavory reputations in their dealings with him.
    — from George Washington by William Roscoe Thayer
  2. He had applied to the scouts for membership, but had not been admitted on account of his unsavory reputation.
    — from The Banner Boy Scouts Snowbound; or, A Tour on Skates and Iceboats by George A. Warren
  3. The dish was again removed, mouths began to water, eager eyes glanced upon the steaming viands, giving out their strong glows and unsavory smells.
    — from The Adventures of My Cousin Smooth by Timothy Templeton
  4. Klimkov took the glass she offered him, and slowly sipped the watery unsavory milk.
    — from The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man by Maksim Gorky
  5. The cup is small, it is smeared with grounds; the coffee is black, thick, unsavory of smell, and execrable in taste.
    — from The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
  6. Devolution - a pet Putin project - is more about accepting an unsavory reality than about re-defining the Russian state.
    — from Russian Roulette: Russia's Economy in Putin's Era by Samuel Vaknin
  7. He had passed the place many times, and knew that it held an unsavory reputation.
    — from Bill Bolton and Hidden DangerBill Bolton Naval Aviation Series #3 by Noel Sainsbury
  8. The tale was a ghastly burlesque, its humor of the most disheartening, unsavory sort.
    — from Mark Twain: A Biography. Complete by Albert Bigelow Paine
  9. Now, to "corrupt" in the real sense does not mean anything unsavory or unclean.
    — from The International Jew : The World's Foremost Problem by Anonymous

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