I Hear America Singing — Vocabulary
Walt Whitman
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varybe different
Your mileage may vary.more
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  I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
  Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
  The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
  The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
  The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand
  singing on the steamboat deck,
  The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as
  he stands,
  The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning,
  or at noon intermission or at sundown,
  The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work,
  or of the girl sewing or washing,
  Each singing what belongs to him or†
vary → varied:differed; or changed
Show general definition to be different, or to change
Show editor's word notes Vary is often used to describe small differences or changes--especially about things of the same type. It would be more common to say "The weight of full-grown elephants varies depending upon diet and other factors," than to say "The weight of elephants varies from that of mice."
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robuststrong
She enjoys a robust workout.†more
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...the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
strong and healthy
Show general definition strong
The exact meaning of robust can depend upon its context. For example:
  • "a robust person" -- strong and healthy
  • "a robust system" -- unlikely to fail
  • "a robust defense" -- strong and energetic
  • "robust flavor" -- strong, rich, and complex
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blithecarefree and happy
She spoke with blithe ignorance of the true situation.more
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...each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
Show general definition carefree and happy -- often unaware of or ignoring something that should be of concern