used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
in actual fact
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
adjectivesnounUS /ˈædʒɪktɪvz/
plural of “adjective” — a word that expresses an attribute of something
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
aloofadjectiveUS /əˈluːf/
remote in manner
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
annoyancenounUS /əˈnɔɪəns/
the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
barelyadverbUS /ˈberli/
only a very short time before
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
divisible by two
From this reading He showed her everything, even to the water-supply and the wine-cellar.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading He showed her everything, even to the water-supply and the wine-cellar.
exceptionnounUS /ɪkˈsepʃən/
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
expectationnounUS /ˌekspekˈteɪʃən/
belief about (or mental picture of) the future
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
flownounUS /floʊ/
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
full-stops
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
Harriet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He showed her everything, even to the water-supply and the wine-cellar.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He showed her everything, even to the water-supply and the wine-cellar.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
the act of retaining something
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
Mevrouw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
Mopius
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
Mynheer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
niecenounUS /niːs/
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
pleasingadjectiveUS /ˈpliːzɪŋ/
giving pleasure and satisfaction
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
refusingverbUS /rəˈfjuːzɪŋ/
-ing form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
self-laudation
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading He showed her everything, even to the water-supply and the wine-cellar.
sombreadjective
lacking brightness or color; dull
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
make steady
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
store-cupboard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Mynheer Mopius took his niece the round of the house amid a steady flow of self-laudation, and Ursula put in pleasing adjectives as full-stops.
TRYSTnounUS /trɪst/
a date; usually with a member of the opposite sex
From this reading THE TRYST The next day passed in an atmosphere of sombre expectation.
Ursula
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ursula and Harriet barely spoke to one another; the latter seemed to be holding aloof.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
water-supply
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He showed her everything, even to the water-supply and the wine-cellar.
wife'snounUS /waɪfs/
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading There was but one exception, his wife’s store-cupboard; Mevrouw Mopius, to his annoyance, actually held out in refusing the key.
wine-cellar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He showed her everything, even to the water-supply and the wine-cellar.
