used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
AmblernounUS /ˈæmblər/
someone who walks at a leisurely pace
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
announcementnounUS /əˈnaʊnsmənt/
a formal public statement
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
bangingnounUS /ˈbæŋɪŋ/
a continuing very loud noise
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading The Christmas holidays were over and the fearsome midyear examinations were things of the past.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “My mother is coming.”
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
defiancenounUS /dɪˈfaɪəns/
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
dullestadjectiveUS /ˈdʌləst/
superlative of “dull” — lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
dullnessnounUS /ˈdʌlnəs/
the quality of being slow to understand
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
examinationsnounUS /ɪɡˌzæməˈneɪʃənz/
plural of “examination” — the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading The Christmas holidays were over and the fearsome midyear examinations were things of the past.
fearsomeadjectiveUS /ˈfɪrsəm/
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading The Christmas holidays were over and the fearsome midyear examinations were things of the past.
frolicnounUS /ˈfrɑːlɪk/
gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
holidaysnounUS /ˈhɑːlədeɪz/
plural of “holiday” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading The Christmas holidays were over and the fearsome midyear examinations were things of the past.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “My mother is coming.”
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
Lilian
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
midyear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Christmas holidays were over and the fearsome midyear examinations were things of the past.
past form of “mingle” — to bring or combine together or with something else
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
MoorenounUS /mʊr/
United States composer of works noted for their use of the American vernacular (1893-1969)
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “My mother is coming.”
musicaladjectiveUS /ˈmjuːzɪkəl/
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My mother is coming.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The Christmas holidays were over and the fearsome midyear examinations were things of the past.
parlornounUS /ˈpɑːrlər/
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading The Christmas holidays were over and the fearsome midyear examinations were things of the past.
Peggy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
pianonounUS /piˈænoʊ/
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
reluctancenounUS /rɪˈlʌktəns/
(physics) opposition to magnetic flux (analogous to electric resistance)
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
swingverbUS /swɪŋ/
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading The Christmas holidays were over and the fearsome midyear examinations were things of the past.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
WednesdaynounUS /ˈwenzdi/
the fourth day of the week; the third working day
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Christmas holidays were over and the fearsome midyear examinations were things of the past.
a Caucasian
From this reading The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
