adjective
brusque and surly and forbidding
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crusty remarks
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a crusty old man
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his curmudgeonly temper
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gruff manner
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a gruff reply
• Syn: ↑crusty, ↑curmudgeonly, ↑gruff, ↑ill-humored
• Similar to: ↑ill-natured
• Derivationally related forms: ↑gruffness (for: ↑gruff), ↑curmudgeon (for: ↑curmudgeonly), ↑crust (for: ↑crusty)
Useful english dictionary. 2012.