Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

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

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

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

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

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

From this reading "Millions--there are millions in that pretended mortuary van!"

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

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

without a doubt

From this reading Heaven pardon me, what a howler--pardonable assuredly--but what a howler I had been guilty of!

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Heaven pardon me, what a howler--pardonable assuredly--but what a howler I had been guilty of!

past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Heaven pardon me, what a howler--pardonable assuredly--but what a howler I had been guilty of!

-ing form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

the dead body of a human being

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

past form of “doubt” — consider unlikely or have doubts about

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

having escaped, especially from confinement

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

plural of “franc” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

greater in size or importance or degree

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act

From this reading Heaven pardon me, what a howler--pardonable assuredly--but what a howler I had been guilty of!

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

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

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

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading Heaven pardon me, what a howler--pardonable assuredly--but what a howler I had been guilty of!

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

a joke that seems extremely funny

From this reading Heaven pardon me, what a howler--pardonable assuredly--but what a howler I had been guilty of!

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Heaven pardon me, what a howler--pardonable assuredly--but what a howler I had been guilty of!

relating to or associated with an empire

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

not prudent or wise

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

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

From this reading "Millions--there are millions in that pretended mortuary van!"

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

apprehended with certainty

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

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

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

shrub or small tree having flattened globose fruit with very sweet aromatic pulp and thin yellow-orange to flame-orange rind that is loose and easily removed; native to southeastern Asia

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

the force of workers available

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading "Millions--there are millions in that pretended mortuary van!"

of or relating to or characteristic of death

From this reading "Millions--there are millions in that pretended mortuary van!"

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

accept an excuse for

From this reading Heaven pardon me, what a howler--pardonable assuredly--but what a howler I had been guilty of!

admitting of being pardoned

From this reading Heaven pardon me, what a howler--pardonable assuredly--but what a howler I had been guilty of!

plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

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

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

a native or inhabitant of Iran

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

plural of “persian” — a native or inhabitant of Iran

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

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

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

adopted in order to deceive

From this reading "Millions--there are millions in that pretended mortuary van!"

line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

-ing form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

the state of being free from danger or injury

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

believed likely

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

the act of someone who picks up or takes something

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Millions--there are millions in that pretended mortuary van!"

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

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

in or at that place or location

From this reading "Millions--there are millions in that pretended mortuary van!"

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

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

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)

From this reading "Millions--there are millions in that pretended mortuary van!"

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

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

(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 In spite of myself, this imprudent phrase had escaped me in such a way that the secret of the imperial treasure was instantly known to all, to the railway men as well as to the passengers.

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

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Heaven pardon me, what a howler--pardonable assuredly--but what a howler I had been guilty of!

at the time that

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?

in the company of; together with

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value

From this reading And so, for greater security, the Persian government, in agreement with the Chinese government, has allowed it to be believed that we were carrying the corpse of a mandarin, when we were really taking to Pekin a treasure worth fifteen million of francs.

a yearning for something or to do something

From this reading But why should I have doubted what Popof told me, and why should Popof have suspected what the Persians had told him regarding this Yen Lou?