"Gauche" Quotes from Famous Books
 ... regards Captain Brocq, an artillery staff-officer and attached to the Ministry of War. Notwithstanding his intellectual capacities and his professional worth, so highly valued by his chiefs, he always remained the man of humble origin, somewhat gauche, timid, who was evidently better fitted to be at the head of a battery on the bastions of a fortress than frequenting the gossipy clubs of officials or society drawing-rooms. Brocq, who had passed out of the Military Academy exceedingly well, had ...
— A Nest of Spies • Pierre Souvestre
... Opdyke," she was saying effusively. "Such an old, old acquaintance, you know! It must be at least seven or eight years, since I first knew you. I was only little Katharine Harrison then; I remember perfectly how shy and gauche I was, and how terrified at you. Shall I sit here? Thank you. And you were very nice to me. I often tell Scott how much it meant to me. Really, it was my first introduction ...
— The Brentons • Anna Chapin Ray
... the clock as well. Even Carl was guilty of that imitation. Consequently he saw the editor, standing at the back, make notes on his copy-paper and smirk like an ill-bred hound stealing a bone. And the Greek professor stared at Frazer's gauche movements with a grim smugness that indicated, "Quite the sort of thing I expected." The Greek's elbows were on the arm of the seat, and he held up before his breast a small red-leather-covered note-book which he superciliously tapped with a thin pencil. He was waiting. ...
— The Trail of the Hawk - A Comedy of the Seriousness of Life • Sinclair Lewis
... certificate, ... that you may know ... quite know, ... what the real and only reason of the obstacle to Wednesday is. On Saturday perhaps, or on Monday more certainly, there is likely to be no opposition, ... at least not on the 'cote gauche' (my side!) to our meeting—but I ...
— The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1845-1846 • Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett
... as to Wilbur's outfit. He looked ever so much more distinguished than either Merle or his friend. She watched him as he stood unconcerned under the chatter of the three girls. They had begun at once to employ upon him the oldest arts known to woman, and he was not flustered or "gauche"—a word Winona had lately learned. Beyond her divining was the truth that he would much rather have been talking to Starling Tucker. She thought he was merely trying to look bored, and was doing it ...
— The Wrong Twin • Harry Leon Wilson
... N. sinistrality^; left, left hand, a gauche; sinister, nearside^, larboard, port. Adj. left-handed; sinister; sinistral, sinistrorsal^, sinistrorse^, sinistrous^; ...
— Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases: Body • Roget
... parler generalement, il semble que plusieurs Nations ont passe en coustume que la droite soit tenue pour vne marque de reuerence, de telle soit, que quand quelq'vn veut deferer a un autre, il le mette a sa droicte, en prenant sa gauche. Lors que trois hommes se promenent ensemble, le plus qualifie a tousiours le milieu: Celuy qui tient la droite, a le second lieu, & l'autre qui reste a la gauche, n'a que le troisieme. Mais en France, quand l'on se promene au long d'vn mur; par ce que ce lieu est presque toujours plus eleue ...
— George Washington's Rules of Civility - Traced to their Sources and Restored by Moncure D. Conway • Moncure D. Conway
... Boufflers, a lady of some literary pretensions, and celebrated as the intimate friend of the Prince de Conti, to whom she is said to have been united by a marriage de la main gauche. During her stay in England she paid a visit to Dr. Johnson, of which Mr. Beauclerk gave the following account to Boswell:—"When Madame de Boufflers was first in England, she was desirous to see Johnson; I accordingly went with her to his chambers in the ...
— The Letters of Horace Walpole Volume 3 • Horace Walpole
... care what he told you! Alice, he is a perfectly unknown and untrained young—creature. All young men talk that way. He is perfectly gauche and ...
— Gordon Keith • Thomas Nelson Page
... that the vexed days of Mlle. du Plessis must exist. An elderly virgin, evidently; stiff, gauche, full of guinderie, says Madame, "et de l'esprit fichu." Everybody made game of her at Les Rochers. As we shall see, the servants knew that very well. Charles is always witty at her expense. Madame ...
— In a Green Shade - A Country Commentary • Maurice Hewlett
... son of Kamrasi, the sixteenth king of Unyoro, of the Galla conquerors, a gauche, awkward, undignified lout of twenty years of age, who thought himself a great monarch. He was cowardly, cruel, cunning, and treacherous to the last degree. Not only had he ordered the destruction of his brother, Kabka Miro, but after his death, he had invited all his principal ...
— Ismailia • Samuel W. Baker |
