Chapter 5 of Quips and Quiddities is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Quips and Quiddities is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUSTIN DOBSON, _Vignettes in Rhyme_. The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own. LORD LYTTON's _Pelham_. Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles. FREDERICK LOCKER, _London Lyrics_.
Chapter 5 of Quips and Quiddities is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
comparative of “blue” — of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading “Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.”
large brown aquatic larva of the dobsonfly; used as fishing bait
From this reading “AUSTIN DOBSON, _Vignettes in Rhyme_.”
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading “The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.”
a storage compartment for clothes and valuables; usually it has a lock
From this reading “FREDERICK LOCKER, _London Lyrics_.”
plural of “lyric” — the text of a popular song or musical-comedy number
plural of “nymph” — (classical mythology) a minor nature goddess usually depicted as a beautiful maiden
From this reading “Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.”
a bit with a bar mouthpiece that is designed to combine a curb and snaffle
plural of “vignette” — a brief literary description
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
state capital of Texas on the Colorado River; site of the University of Texas
From this reading AUSTIN DOBSON, _Vignettes in Rhyme_.
for the reason that
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
plural of “blow” — a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
comparative of “blue” — of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
an inclination to withhold approval from some person or group
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
large brown aquatic larva of the dobsonfly; used as fishing bait
From this reading AUSTIN DOBSON, _Vignettes in Rhyme_.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore
From this reading FREDERICK LOCKER, _London Lyrics_.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
socks and stockings and tights collectively (the British include underwear)
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AUSTIN DOBSON, _Vignettes in Rhyme_.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
a storage compartment for clothes and valuables; usually it has a lock
From this reading FREDERICK LOCKER, _London Lyrics_.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading FREDERICK LOCKER, _London Lyrics_.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading LORD LYTTON's _Pelham_.
plural of “lyric” — the text of a popular song or musical-comedy number
From this reading FREDERICK LOCKER, _London Lyrics_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LORD LYTTON's _Pelham_.
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
the force of workers available
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
plural of “nymph” — (classical mythology) a minor nature goddess usually depicted as a beautiful maiden
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
a bit with a bar mouthpiece that is designed to combine a curb and snaffle
From this reading LORD LYTTON's _Pelham_.
everlastingly; for all time
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds)
From this reading AUSTIN DOBSON, _Vignettes in Rhyme_.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Then nymphs had bluer eyes than hose, England then measured men by blows, And measured time by candles.
feelings of excessive pride
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
plural of “vignette” — a brief literary description
From this reading AUSTIN DOBSON, _Vignettes in Rhyme_.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The reason we dislike vanity in others is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
Chapter 5 of Quips and Quiddities by William Davenport [Editor] Adams holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 5 holds 420 sentences of Quips and Quiddities, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Quips and Quiddities by William Davenport [Editor] Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Quips and Quiddities by William Davenport [Editor] Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3102 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41713 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41713, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 621 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Quips and Quiddities section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Quips and Quiddities to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Quips and Quiddities, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
