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The Gift of the Magi
The Gift of the Magi

Chapter I · Act I: Della's Christmas Sacrifice

One dollar and eighty-seven cents.

Della counts one dollar and eighty-seven cents in her shabby eight-dollar-a-week New York flat, with pennies on the table and a grey winter backyard beyond the window.
Context Illustration Reading 1/16 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
One dollar and eighty-seven cents.
That was all.
And sixty cents of it was in pennies.
Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.
Three times Della counted it.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Gift of the Magi

Chapter I · Act I: Della's Christmas Sacrifice

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
One dollar and eighty-seven cents.
Line 2
That was all.
Line 3
And sixty cents of it was in pennies.
Line 4
Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.
Line 5
Three times Della counted it.

Learner Dictionary

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

bulldozing verb US /ˈbʊlˌdoʊzɪŋ/

forcing someone to agree by behaving in a determined or threatening way

From this reading “Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.”

Collocations
One dollarA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
dollar andA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
imputation noun US /ˌɪmpjəˈteɪʃən/

a suggestion that someone is responsible for a fault or bad quality

From this reading “Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.”

parsimony noun US /ˈpɑːrsəˌmoʊni/

extreme unwillingness to spend money or use resources

From this reading “Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.”

All words in this reading · 41

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 Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

all

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

From this reading That was all.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading One dollar and eighty-seven cents.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

bulldozingverbUS /ˈbʊlˌdoʊzɪŋ/

forcing someone to agree by behaving in a determined or threatening way

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

burned

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

butcher

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

cents

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

From this reading One dollar and eighty-seven cents.

cheeks

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

close

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

counted

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

From this reading Three times Della counted it.

dealing

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

Della

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

From this reading Three times Della counted it.

dollar

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

From this reading One dollar and eighty-seven cents.

eighty-seven

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

From this reading One dollar and eighty-seven cents.

grocer

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

implied

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

imputationnounUS /ˌɪmpjəˈteɪʃən/

a suggestion that someone is responsible for a fault or bad quality

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading And sixty cents of it was in pennies.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And sixty cents of it was in pennies.

man

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And sixty cents of it was in pennies.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One dollar and eighty-seven cents.

one's

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

parsimonynounUS /ˈpɑːrsəˌmoʊni/

extreme unwillingness to spend money or use resources

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

pennies

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

From this reading And sixty cents of it was in pennies.

savednounUS /saved/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

silent

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

sixty

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

From this reading And sixty cents of it was in pennies.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That was all.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

Three

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

From this reading Three times Della counted it.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

times

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

From this reading Three times Della counted it.

two

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

vegetable

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

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading That was all.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

Chapter Quiz

What is the central focus and narrative progression in 'Act 01: One Dollar and Eighty-Seven Cents & The Queen of Sheba's Hair'?

How does the narrator establish the atmosphere and intellectual tone in this section?

What pedagogical insight can an advanced English scholar derive from this passage?