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Red aces

Chapter XVIII

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Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.
He had what is called in Portuguese a _repugnancio_ to fighting men.
When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.
But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.
They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Red aces

Chapter XVIII

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.
Line 2
He had what is called in Portuguese a _repugnancio_ to fighting men.
Line 3
When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.
Line 4
But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.
Line 5
They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.”

Drink noun US /drink/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.”

Gentlemen noun US /gentlemen/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.”

Short adjective US /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading “But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.”

All words in this reading · 81

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He had what is called in Portuguese a _repugnancio_ to fighting men.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

bitter

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

Brockley

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

called

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had what is called in Portuguese a _repugnancio_ to fighting men.

combat

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

considerable

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

contest

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

cross

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

day

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

Deptford

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

dress

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

drink

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

engaged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

evening

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

favour

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

fighting

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

following

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

gentlemennounUS /gentlemen/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had what is called in Portuguese a _repugnancio_ to fighting men.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

home

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

hooligans

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

hour

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

intoxicating

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

invariably

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He had what is called in Portuguese a _repugnancio_ to fighting men.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

lower

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

men

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

midnight

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

Mr

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

night

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

obviously

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

other

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

Philistine

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

Portuguese

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had what is called in Portuguese a _repugnancio_ to fighting men.

practice

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

Reeder

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

Reeder's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

repugnancio

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had what is called in Portuguese a _repugnancio_ to fighting men.

returning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

Road

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

rule

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

Saturday

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

saw

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

side

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

silent

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

streets

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.

supposition

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

there

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading He had what is called in Portuguese a _repugnancio_ to fighting men.

two

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

wage

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

war

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading On the following Saturday night, as Mr. Reeder was returning home, he saw two men fighting in Brockley Road.

wearing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were both wearing evening dress, and gentlemen in evening dress do not as a rule wage war in the streets of Brockley.

weight

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading He had what is called in Portuguese a _repugnancio_ to fighting men.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

worse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When the hour was midnight and the day was Saturday, there was a considerable weight of supposition in favour of the combat being between two gentlemen who were the worse for intoxicating drink, and it was invariably Mr. Reeder’s practice to cross like the Philistine, to the other side of the road.

young

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But the two young men who were engaged in such a short, silent and bitter contest were obviously no hooligans of lower Deptford.