used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She showed no signs of confusion or nervousness at his visit.
backgroundnounUS /ˈbækɡraʊnd/
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
an occurrence of something
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
Claridge's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading She showed no signs of confusion or nervousness at his visit.
declinedverbUS /dɪˈklaɪnd/
past form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
fraudulentadjectiveUS /ˈfrɔːdʒələnt/
intended to deceive
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
hoveringverbUS /ˈhʌvərɪŋ/
-ing form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
jewelnounUS /ˈdʒuːəl/
a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
loungeverbUS /laʊndʒ/
sit or recline comfortably
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
a female domestic
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
nervousnessnounUS /ˈnɜːrvəsnəs/
the anxious feeling you have when you have the jitters
From this reading She showed no signs of confusion or nervousness at his visit.
not any; not one
From this reading She showed no signs of confusion or nervousness at his visit.
obeyingverbUS /oʊˈbeɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She showed no signs of confusion or nervousness at his visit.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
Pekinesenoun
a Chinese breed of small short-legged dogs with a long silky coat and broad flat muzzle
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
perfectionnounUS /pərˈfekʃən/
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
promptlyadverbUS /ˈprɑːmptli/
with little or no delay
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
one of four equal parts
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading She showed no signs of confusion or nervousness at his visit.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading She showed no signs of confusion or nervousness at his visit.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
suitenounUS /swiːt/
a musical composition of several movements only loosely connected
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
Tallente
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
telephonenounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In about a quarter of an hour she descended to the lounge, dressed for the street.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
urgentadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrdʒənt/
compelling immediate action
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading She showed no signs of confusion or nervousness at his visit.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Her maid came down and invited him to her suite, an invitation which he promptly declined.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Tallente, obeying an urgent telephone message, made his way to Claridge's and sent his card up to his wife.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She was hard and cold and fair, with a fraudulent smile upon her lips, dressed to perfection, her maid hovering in the background with a Pekinese under one arm and a jewel case in her other hand.
