adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He carried a small portfolio in his left hand.
addressingverbUS /əˈdresɪŋ/
-ing form of “address” — speak to
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/
(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 Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
allowedverbUS /əˈlaʊd/
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
carriedverbUS /ˈkærid/
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading He carried a small portfolio in his left hand.
CommonsnounUS /ˈkɑːmənz/
a piece of open land for recreational use in an urban area
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
coolnessnounUS /ˈkuːlnəs/
calm and unruffled self-assurance
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
crowdsnounUS /kraʊdz/
plural of “crowd” — a large number of things or people considered together
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
discoverynounUS /dɪˈskʌvəri/
the act of discovering something
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
discussionnounUS /dɪˈskʌʃən/
an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
dressverbUS /dres/
put on clothes
From this reading THE GREAT PAUL LESSINGHAM He was in evening dress.
escapenounUS /ɪˈskeɪp/
the act of escaping physically
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading THE GREAT PAUL LESSINGHAM He was in evening dress.
excitedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsaɪtəd/
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
failedverbUS /feɪld/
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
GREATadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading THE GREAT PAUL LESSINGHAM He was in evening dress.
handnounUS /hænd/
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He carried a small portfolio in his left hand.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE GREAT PAUL LESSINGHAM He was in evening dress.
heatedadjectiveUS /ˈhiːtəd/
made warm or hot (“het” is a dialectal variant of “heated”)
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He carried a small portfolio in his left hand.
HousenounUS /haʊs/
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
impenetrabilitynoun
the quality of being impenetrable (by people or light or missiles etc.)
From this reading Paul Lessingham’s impenetrability is proverbial.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE GREAT PAUL LESSINGHAM He was in evening dress.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Paul Lessingham’s impenetrability is proverbial.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
knowsnounUS /noʊz/
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
leftnounUS /left/
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading He carried a small portfolio in his left hand.
LESSINGHAM
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GREAT PAUL LESSINGHAM He was in evening dress.
Lessingham's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Paul Lessingham’s impenetrability is proverbial.
midstnounUS /mɪdst/
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
PAULnounUS /pɔːl/
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading THE GREAT PAUL LESSINGHAM He was in evening dress.
platformsnounUS /ˈplætfɔːrmz/
plural of “platform” — a raised horizontal surface
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
portfolionounUS /pɔːrtˈfoʊlioʊ/
a large, flat, thin case for carrying loose papers or drawings or maps; usually leather
From this reading He carried a small portfolio in his left hand.
presencenounUS /ˈprezəns/
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
proverbialadjectiveUS /prəˈvɜːrbiəl/
of or relating to or resembling or expressed in a proverb
From this reading Paul Lessingham’s impenetrability is proverbial.
remainsnounUS /rɪˈmeɪnz/
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
scarcelyadverbUS /ˈskersli/
only a very short time before
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
signnounUS /saɪn/
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He carried a small portfolio in his left hand.
startledadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtəld/
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
surprisenounUS /sərˈpraɪz/
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GREAT PAUL LESSINGHAM He was in evening dress.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If the discovery of my presence startled him, as it could scarcely have failed to do, he allowed no sign of surprise to escape him.
unruffledadjectiveUS /ənˈrʌfəld/
free from emotional agitation or nervous tension
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE GREAT PAUL LESSINGHAM He was in evening dress.
WhetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
worldnounUS /wɜːrld/
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Whether on platforms addressing excited crowds, or in the midst of heated discussion in the House of Commons, all the world knows that his coolness remains unruffled.
