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A Cigarette-Maker's Romance
A Cigarette-Maker's Romance

Chapter IV

Cover illustration for A Cigarette-Maker's Romance
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.
What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.
However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.
To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.
So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Cigarette-Maker's Romance

Chapter IV

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.
Line 2
What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.
Line 3
However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.
Line 4
To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.
Line 5
So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Anything pronoun US /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading “However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.”

Broken noun US /broken/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.”

Course noun US /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.”

Gentleman noun US /ˈgentleman/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.”

However adverb US /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading “However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.”

Responsible adjective US /rɪˈspɑnsəbəl/

having a duty to protect or manage something

From this reading “To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.”

Seeing noun US /seeing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.”

Stand noun US /stand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.”

All words in this reading · 91

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

absurd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

abuse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

acted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

aggressor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

Akulina's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

attacked

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

aware

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

bandy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

brokennounUS /broken/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

checking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

containing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

Count

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

coursenounUS /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

desired

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

dignity

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

doll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

epithets

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

exacting

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

followed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

gentlemannounUS /ˈgentleman/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

hold

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

HoweveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

hurriedly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

insults

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

language

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

man

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

means

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

moment

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

more

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

most

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

object

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.

only

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

parcel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

powerless

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

precise

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

puppet

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.

received

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

remains

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.

responsibleadjectiveUS /rɪˈspɑnsəbəl/

having a duty to protect or manage something

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

satisfaction

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

seeing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

self-respect

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

shop

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.

stand

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

storm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

tobacconist

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.

torrent

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

treat

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

useless

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

view

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

way

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading So the Count took the remains of the puppet and went on his way.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

wife's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The Count had no precise object in view when he hurriedly left the shop with the parcel containing the broken doll.

withdraw

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What he most desired for the moment was to withdraw himself from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received.

woman

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However he might have acted had the aggressor been a man, he was powerless when attacked by a woman, and he was aware that he had followed the only course which had in it anything of dignity and self-respect.

words

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

worse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading To stand and bandy words and epithets of abuse would have been worse than useless, to treat the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would have been more than absurd.