Defying one of the oldest political traditions, the Arizona senator is winning by gruffly refusing to tell people what they want to hear.

ECONOMIST: The Republicans

There were the Northern Starks, led by the gruffly ethical Ned Stark and his dignified wife, Catelyn, and their gruffly ethical and dignified children.

NEWYORKER: The Aristocrats

We walked across the border from Ethiopia, the noon sun beating down on the squat concrete building where an officer gruffly motioned us to a bench.

WSJ: A Father-Son Vacation in Sudan, Africa