At his swearing-in he gave the king a perfunctory peck on the shoulder, not a full bow-and-kiss on the hand.

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In this age of social media, text messages, and instant emails, it might seem acceptable to turn down a job offer in a perfunctory manner.

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As the ball wandered into foul territory and Piazza began a perfunctory gait toward first base, Clemens picked up the barrel of Piazza's shattered bat and threw it at him.

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