used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Then,” answered Cornish, “you have come to the wrong house.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
biscuitsnounUS /ˈbɪskəts/
plural of “biscuit” — small round bread leavened with baking-powder or soda
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Then,” answered Cornish, “you have come to the wrong house.”
confidedverbUS /kənˈfaɪdɪd/
past form of “confide” — reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
CornishnounUS /ˈkɔːrnɪʃ/
a Celtic language spoken in Cornwall
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
couronne
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
desnounUS /des/
a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
drawing-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
take in solid food
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
estnounUS /est/
standard time in the 5th time zone west of Greenwich, reckoned at the 75th meridian; used in the eastern United States
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
faite
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
Ferriby's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Then,” answered Cornish, “you have come to the wrong house.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Then,” answered Cornish, “you have come to the wrong house.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
IlnounUS /ɪl/
a midwestern state in north-central United States
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
leur
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
MargueritenounUS /ˌmɑːrɡərˈiːt/
tall leafy-stemmed Eurasian perennial with white flowers; widely naturalized; often placed in genus Chrysanthemum
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
mesure
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading PLAIN SPEAKING.
platesnounUS /pleɪts/
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
que
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
rois
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
soit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading PLAIN SPEAKING.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
sustenancenounUS /ˈsʌstənəns/
a source of materials to nourish the body
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Then,” answered Cornish, “you have come to the wrong house.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then,” answered Cornish, “you have come to the wrong house.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
Tony
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
tête
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
undertonenounUS /ˈʌndərtoʊn/
a quiet or hushed tone of voice
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
WadeverbUS /weɪd/
walk (through relatively shallow water)
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What I want is something to eat,” Miss Marguerite Wade confided in an undertone to Tony Cornish, a few minutes later in Lady Ferriby's drawing-room.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She said this with a little glance of amusement, as Cornish stood before her with two plates of biscuits, which certainly did not promise much sustenance.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “Then,” answered Cornish, “you have come to the wrong house.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Then,” answered Cornish, “you have come to the wrong house.”
à
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Il est rare que la tête des rois soit faite à la mesure de leur couronne.”
