used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “I’m not dressed for a party.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
awfullyadverbUS /ˈɑːfli/
used as intensifiers
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
blanknessnoun
the state of being blank; void; emptiness
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
dismallyadverbUS /ˈdɪzməli/
in a cheerless manner
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading “I’m not dressed for a party.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I’m not dressed for a party.
glossyadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɔːsi/
based on pretense; deceptively pleasing
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I’ll just wait here,” he said to the pretty maid.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “I’ll just wait here,” he said to the pretty maid.
I'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
I'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ll just wait here,” he said to the pretty maid.
I'm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m not dressed for a party.
impersonaladjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɜːrsənəl/
not relating to or responsive to individual persons
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
and nothing more
From this reading “I’ll just wait here,” he said to the pretty maid.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
LindsaynounUS /ˈlɪndzi/
United States playwright who collaborated with Russel Crouse on several musicals (1889-1931)
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
a female domestic
From this reading “I’ll just wait here,” he said to the pretty maid.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Very well, Mr. O’Hara.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I’m not dressed for a party.
O'HaranounUS /oʊˈherə/
United States writer (1905-1970)
From this reading “Very well, Mr. O’Hara.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
on one occasion
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading “I’m not dressed for a party.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “I’ll just wait here,” he said to the pretty maid.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I’ll just wait here,” he said to the pretty maid.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
she's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
express in speech
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
express in words
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I’ll just wait here,” he said to the pretty maid.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I’ll just wait here,” he said to the pretty maid.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
precisely as stated
From this reading “Very well, Mr. O’Hara.”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “I’ll just wait here,” he said to the pretty maid.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Very well, Mr. O’Hara.”
well-trained
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her voice had all the impersonal blankness of the well-trained servant, but once on the dark stairs she shook her glossy head dismally.
at the time that
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You might tell Mrs. Lindsay that--that when she’s not too busy, I’d like awfully to speak to her for a minute.”
