used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
bonnieadjectiveUS /ˈbɑːni/
very pleasing to the eye
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
brightenedverbUS /ˈbraɪtənd/
past form of “brighten” — make more cheerful through the use of color
From this reading It brightened the dreary staircase like a gleam of sunshine.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
buttoning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
cabmannoun
someone who drives a taxi for a living
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
Cadogan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
dogskin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
drearyadjectiveUS /ˈdrɪri/
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading It brightened the dreary staircase like a gleam of sunshine.
put on clothes
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
flightsnounUS /flaɪts/
plural of “flight” — a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
a young female
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
gleamverbUS /ɡliːm/
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading It brightened the dreary staircase like a gleam of sunshine.
glovesnounUS /ɡlʌvz/
plural of “glove” — the handwear used by fielders in playing baseball
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
half-way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
and nothing more
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It brightened the dreary staircase like a gleam of sunshine.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
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 She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
MansionsnounUS /ˈmæntʃənz/
plural of “mansion” — (astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
Merivale
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
being perceived or observed
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
and nothing more
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
shabbyadjectiveUS /ˈʃæbi/
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
springingverbUS /ˈsprɪŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading It brightened the dreary staircase like a gleam of sunshine.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
the rays of the sun
From this reading It brightened the dreary staircase like a gleam of sunshine.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Her dress was shabby too, and the little black straw hat had seen long service; but Miss Merivale only noticed her bonnie face.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading She told the cabman to wait, and walked slowly up the long flights of stone steps.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
at the time that
From this reading It was just before twelve o’clock next morning when Miss Merivale reached Cadogan Mansions.
in the company of; together with
From this reading About half-way up, she met a girl coming down, with light springing steps, buttoning a pair of shabby dogskin gloves.
