aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was no light nonsense about Miss Blimber.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
Blimber
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
CiceronounUS /ˈsɪsəroʊ/
a linear unit of the size of type slightly larger than an em
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
crispadjectiveUS /krɪsp/
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading She kept her hair short and crisp and wore spectacles.
a female human offspring
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
Dombeys
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
dulyadverbUS /ˈduːli/
in accordance with what is appropriate or suitable for the circumstances
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading She kept her hair short and crisp and wore spectacles.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading She kept her hair short and crisp and wore spectacles.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading There was no light nonsense about Miss Blimber.
mamanounUS /ˈmɑːmə/
informal terms for a mother
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading There was no light nonsense about Miss Blimber.
a particular point in time
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no light nonsense about Miss Blimber.
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading There was no light nonsense about Miss Blimber.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
pretendedadjectiveUS /priˈtendɪd/
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She kept her hair short and crisp and wore spectacles.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading She kept her hair short and crisp and wore spectacles.
spectaclesnounUS /ˈspektəkəlz/
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading She kept her hair short and crisp and wore spectacles.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no light nonsense about Miss Blimber.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died content.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no light nonsense about Miss Blimber.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Mrs. Blimber, her mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading At this moment Mrs. Blimber entered, followed by her daughter, and they were duly presented to the Dombeys.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading She kept her hair short and crisp and wore spectacles.
