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Literary notes about dexterous (AI summary)

In literature, the term "dexterous" is employed to highlight not only physical adeptness but also mental agility and artful handling of situations. Authors use it to describe a character’s impressive manual skills—ranging from exceptional horsemanship ([1]) and deft fishing ability ([2]) to the precise, rapid handling of tools or instruments ([3])—while it also conveys the subtle cunning required in complex political or social maneuvers ([4], [5]). Moreover, the word captures a sense of creative ingenuity, whether in the practical execution of timely actions ([6]) or in the delicate refinement of one’s personal presentation ([7]).
  1. He was famed for great knowledge and skill in horsemanship, being as dexterous on horseback as a Tartar.
    — from The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon by Washington Irving
  2. We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing; and as I was most dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went without me.
    — from The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
  3. No dish should be carved upon the table, and that no guest shall wait too long for his meat, you must engage a rapid and dexterous carver.
    — from The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness by Florence Hartley
  4. [ Trebizond escaped, apparently by the dexterous politics of the sovereign, but it acknowledged the Mogul supremacy.
    — from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
  5. How well-bred he is, how dexterous in the use of irony!
    — from On the Sublime by active 1st century Longinus
  6. Her canoe struck a rock slantwise, shuddered and swung round, but by a dexterous stroke she freed the frail craft.
    — from The World for Sale, Volume 1. by Gilbert Parker
  7. She was before the mirror again, adjusting her hair with a light hand, drawing down her veil, and giving a dexterous touch to her furs.
    — from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

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