used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
anew
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
(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 Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
annualadjectiveUS /ˈænjuːəl/
completing its life cycle within a year
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
babiesnounUS /ˈbeɪbiz/
plural of “baby” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
butter-knives
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some houses contain only silver soup-ladles, others a superabundance of butter-knives.
common-sense
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
containverbUS /kənˈteɪn/
include or contain; have as a component
From this reading Some houses contain only silver soup-ladles, others a superabundance of butter-knives.
cupsnounUS /kʌps/
plural of “cup” — a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
descendantsnounUS /dɪˈsendənts/
all of the offspring of a given progenitor
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
digressverbUS /daɪˈɡres/
lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
discountnounUS /dɪˈskaʊnt/
the act of reducing the selling price of merchandise
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading It is a type of a pretty mouth from whence issues only folly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It is a type of a pretty mouth from whence issues only folly.
furnishverbUS /ˈfɜːrnɪʃ/
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
usually; as a rule
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
giltadjectiveUS /ɡɪlt/
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
harrowingadjectiveUS /ˈheroʊɪŋ/
extremely painful
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
holidaynounUS /ˈhɑːlədeɪ/
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Some houses contain only silver soup-ladles, others a superabundance of butter-knives.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
issuesnounUS /ˈɪʃuːz/
plural of “issue” — an important question that is in dispute and must be settled
From this reading It is a type of a pretty mouth from whence issues only folly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a type of a pretty mouth from whence issues only folly.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
engage in
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
marginsnounUS /ˈmɑːrdʒənz/
plural of “margin” — the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
messnounUS /mes/
a state of confusion and disorderliness
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading It is a type of a pretty mouth from whence issues only folly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
and nothing more
From this reading Some houses contain only silver soup-ladles, others a superabundance of butter-knives.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some houses contain only silver soup-ladles, others a superabundance of butter-knives.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
presentsnounUS /ˈprezənts/
plural of “present” — the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading It is a type of a pretty mouth from whence issues only folly.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading Some houses contain only silver soup-ladles, others a superabundance of butter-knives.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some houses contain only silver soup-ladles, others a superabundance of butter-knives.
soup-ladles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some houses contain only silver soup-ladles, others a superabundance of butter-knives.
superabundancenoun
a quantity that is more than what is appropriate
From this reading Some houses contain only silver soup-ladles, others a superabundance of butter-knives.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Some babies, again, have silver cups enough so furnish all their descendants, be they more or less.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
From this reading It is a type of a pretty mouth from whence issues only folly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But, not to digress, what a "mess" people generally make of holiday presents!
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading It is a type of a pretty mouth from whence issues only folly.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The most harrowing present I know of is a "picture annual," all over gilt, with wide margins inside, and with common-sense at a discount.
