used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading CUT OFF WITH A SHILLING.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
AustralianounUS /ɔːˈstreɪljə/
a nation occupying the whole of the Australian continent; Aboriginal tribes are thought to have migrated from southeastern Asia 20,000 years ago; first Europeans were British convicts sent there as a penal colony
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
the act of burning something
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading CUT OFF WITH A SHILLING.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
at any time
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
a social unit living together
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
an opening into or through something
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
maid-of-all-work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
missisnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/
informal term of address for someone's wife
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
MondaynounUS /ˈmʌndi/
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading CUT OFF WITH A SHILLING.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
possessing material wealth
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
scrapingnounUS /ˈskreɪpɪŋ/
(usually plural) a fragment scraped off of something and collected
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
SHILLINGnounUS /ˈʃɪlɪŋ/
the basic unit of money in Uganda; equal to 100 cents
From this reading CUT OFF WITH A SHILLING.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
sovereignadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːv.rən/
Possessing supreme or ultimate power; autonomous and commanding.
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
to-night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A secret--quite a great secret--had been burning a hole in her heart ever since Monday, and to-night she expected this secret to result in something grand.
toilingadjectiveUS /ˈtɔɪlɪŋ/
doing arduous or unpleasant work
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
Torquay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
precisely as stated
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Anne felt that the days of poverty for the family were over; the days for scraping and toiling were at an end.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Never was a little maid-of-all-work more excited than Anne on the night on which her mistress was expected home from Torquay.
in the company of; together with
From this reading CUT OFF WITH A SHILLING.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The uncle from Australia would give her missis everything that money could buy; he must be a very rich man indeed, for had he not given her a sovereign?
