used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Under a futile pretext, the little servant was dismissed.
allowancenounUS /əˈlaʊəns/
an amount allowed or granted (as during a given period)
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
countsnounUS /kaʊnts/
plural of “count” — the total number counted
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
dismissedadjectiveUS /dɪˈsmɪst/
having lost your job
From this reading Under a futile pretext, the little servant was dismissed.
economynounUS /ɪˈkɑːnəmi/
the system of production and distribution and consumption
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
evening'snounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋz/
possessive form of “evening” — the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
excursionsnounUS /ɪkˈskɜːrʒənz/
plural of “excursion” — a journey taken for pleasure
From this reading The Sunday excursions were suppressed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
futileadjectiveUS /ˈfjuːtəl/
producing no result or effect
From this reading Under a futile pretext, the little servant was dismissed.
grainsnounUS /ɡreɪnz/
plural of “grain” — a relatively small granular particle of a substance
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He tightened the strings of his purse.
honeymoonnounUS /ˈhʌnimuːn/
a holiday taken by a newly married couple
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
immediately past
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Under a futile pretext, the little servant was dismissed.
measuresnounUS /ˈmeʒərz/
plural of “measure” — any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
niggardlyadjectiveUS /ˈnɪɡərdli/
petty or reluctant in giving or spending
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
parsimonynounUS /ˈpɑːrsəmoʊni/
extreme care in spending money; reluctance to spend money unnecessarily
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
pot-au-feunoun
traditional French stew of vegetables and beef
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
pretextnounUS /ˈpriːtekst/
something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason
From this reading Under a futile pretext, the little servant was dismissed.
prodigalities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)
From this reading He tightened the strings of his purse.
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading Under a futile pretext, the little servant was dismissed.
soapnounUS /soʊp/
a cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
stringsnounUS /strɪŋz/
the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instruments
From this reading He tightened the strings of his purse.
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading The Sunday excursions were suppressed.
suppressedadjectiveUS /səˈprest/
kept from public knowledge by various means
From this reading The Sunday excursions were suppressed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
tightenedverbUS /ˈtaɪtənd/
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading He tightened the strings of his purse.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
UnderprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Under a futile pretext, the little servant was dismissed.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.
washingnounUS /ˈwɑːʃɪŋ/
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
weighsverbUS /weɪz/
third-person singular of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Sunday excursions were suppressed.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the _pot-au-feu_, which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening’s allowance of candle.
