| Combining dourness and humour, sentimentality and hard-headedness, arrogance and tolerance, every situation is redeemed by laughter. |
| Deconstructive dourness never stays put, however, so of course the deconstructive acid seeped over from museum practices to high art itself. |
| Whether through his own dourness, or the exhaustion of his rivals, the picture would alter dramatically on the flat. |
| Nothing distracts from the swell and shimmer of the sleek blue surface that slinks enticingly through the gloom and dourness of the city. |
| Brady's carefully-cultivated air of dismissive dourness offset Giles' sombre demeanour perfectly, as it usually does. |
| Fortunately for the command climate of the 1st Pursuit Group, the witty operations officer with twinkling eyes buffered Atkinson's dourness. |
