The savvy staff has learned that communication is the key to a happy relationship, and one evening, a solicitous waiter divulged that a simple design flaw is the cause of those onerous waits: the kitchen is too small to keep up.

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For example, a letter sent by Jeffrey Collins, the U.S. attorney in Detroit, to men from Middle Eastern and predominately Muslim countries in eastern Michigan, strikes a solicitous note.

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Many players say their twin helped keep them grounded, which is especially important in basketball, where standout players tend to be surrounded by sycophants, admirers and solicitous coaches from a young age.

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Once a hallmark of Saks Fifth Avenue, the solicitous salesperson is now as distant a memory as pillbox hats.

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The duet, which paired Ms. Guillem with a similarly dressed and often classically solicitous Massimo Murru, lasted about 20 minutes and was set to a David Morrow composition, heard, like all the program's accompaniment, on tape.

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The helpful, solicitous staff happily stows skis in a storage area and presents them efficiently on request.

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For high executives, often sheltered from unpleasantness by solicitous subordinates, this can be a useful dash of reality.

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