Books
He was tall, dark, and laconic and had a slight nervous tick. He explained that he used to be just tall, dark, and laconic, but that the events of the last few days had rather got to him.
— Douglas Adams ‧ Last Chance To See
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The description adds a nervous tic to an otherwise steady list of qualities, then explains it as a recent development. Repeating the earlier description makes the change stand out. The understated account of recent events supplies the dry humour without explaining what happened.
Context reviewed