adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
adroitlyadverbUS /əˈdrɔɪtli/
with adroitness; in an adroit manner
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/
(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 This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
amountedverbUS /əˈmaʊntɪd/
past form of “amount” — be tantamount or equivalent to
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
arrivingverbUS /ərˈaɪvɪŋ/
-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
ascertainverbUS /ˌæsərˈteɪn/
establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
bitnounUS /bɪt/
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
BrieflyadverbUS /ˈbriːfli/
for a short time
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
Briskow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Moreover, she was in the oil business.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
calledverbUS /kɔːld/
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
CalvinnounUS /ˈkælvən/
United States chemist noted for discovering the series of chemical reactions in photosynthesis (1911-)
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
cameverbUS /keɪm/
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
carefullyadverbUS /ˈkerfəli/
taking care or paying attention
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
comeverbUS /kʌm/
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
conversationaladjectiveUS /ˌkɑːnvərˈseɪʃənəl/
characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
EastnounUS /iːst/
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
eldernounUS /ˈeldər/
a person who is older than you are
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
electedadjectiveUS /ɪˈlektəd/
subject to popular election
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
evadeverbUS /ɪˈveɪd/
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
foiledadjectiveUS /fɔɪld/
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
folksnounUS /foʊks/
your parents
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
furtheradverbUS /ˈfɜːrðər/
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
gainverbUS /ɡeɪn/
obtain
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
gamenounUS /ɡeɪm/
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/
a young female
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
GoodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
GraynounUS /ɡreɪ/
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
heldadjectiveUS /held/
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
homenounUS /hoʊm/
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
hournounUS /ˈaʊər/
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
illuminationnounUS /ˌɪluːməˈneɪʃən/
a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
intelligencenounUS /ˌɪnˈtelədʒəns/
the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
intriguedverbUS /ˈɪntriɡd/
past form of “intrigue” — cause to be interested or curious
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
knewverbUS /nuː/
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/
set down according to a plan
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
lastadjectiveUS /læst/
immediately past
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
learnedadjectiveUS /lɜːrnd/
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
luncheonnounUS /ˈlʌntʃən/
a midday meal
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
ManounUS /mɑː/
informal terms for a mother
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
make-believenoun
imaginative intellectual play
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
mannounUS /mæn/
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
mischievousadjectiveUS /ˈmɪstʃəvəs/
naughtily or annoyingly playful
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
MissverbUS /mɪs/
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
MoreoveradverbUS /mɔːˈroʊvər/
in addition to what has just been said
From this reading Moreover, she was in the oil business.
naturallyadverbUS /ˈnætʃərəli/
as might be expected
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
oilnounUS /ɔɪl/
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum or plants, stored in large earthen jars.
From this reading Moreover, she was in the oil business.
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/
and nothing more
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
playverbUS /pleɪ/
participate in games or sport
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
pleasurenounUS /ˈpleʒər/
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
pretendverbUS /priˈtend/
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading This last bit of intelligence naturally intrigued the man, and he undertook to gain further illumination, but only to have the girl pretend that he knew all about it.
promiseverbUS /ˈprɑːməs/
make a promise or commitment
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
regrettedverbUS /rɪˈɡretɪd/
inflected form of “regret” — feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
rigidlyadverbUS /ˈrɪdʒɪdli/
in a rigid manner
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
schooledverbUS /skuːld/
past form of “school” — educate in or as if in a school
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
trapsnounUS /træps/
plural of “trap” — a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading It gave her a mischievous pleasure to evade his carefully laid conversational traps, and what little he learned came from Ma Briskow.
undertookverbUS /ˌʌndərˈtʊk/
inflected form of “undertake” — enter upon an activity or enterprise
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The luncheon hour was long in arriving, and when it did come around Calvin Gray regretted that he had elected to play a game of make-believe with "Miss Good," for she rigidly held him to his promise, and however adroitly he undertook to ascertain who or what she was, she foiled him.
womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Briefly, it amounted to this: Miss Good was what the elder woman called "home folks," but she had been schooled in the East.
