used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
(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 They flaunted their grimness all over the place.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
inflected form of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
cleanseverbUS /klenz/
clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
correctionnounUS /kərˈekʃən/
the act of offering an improvement to replace a mistake; setting right
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
cupboardsnounUS /ˈkʌbərdz/
plural of “cupboard” — a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading No skeletons lurked in cupboards.
wanted intensely
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
drawernounUS /drɔːr/
a boxlike container in a piece of furniture; made so as to slide in and out
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
establishmentnounUS /ɪˈstæblɪʃmənt/
the act of forming or establishing something
From this reading THERE was one merit (if merit it was) of my mother's establishment.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
flauntedverbUS /ˈflɔːntɪd/
past form of “flaunt” — display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously
From this reading They flaunted their grimness all over the place.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
frying-pan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
grimnessnounUS /ˈɡrɪmnəs/
the quality of being ghastly
From this reading They flaunted their grimness all over the place.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading THERE was one merit (if merit it was) of my mother's establishment.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading No skeletons lurked in cupboards.
inculcatedverbUS /ˈɪŋkəlkeɪtəd/
past form of “inculcate” — teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THERE was one merit (if merit it was) of my mother's establishment.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
the literary culture
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
lurkedverbUS /lɜːrkt/
past form of “lurk” — lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
From this reading No skeletons lurked in cupboards.
meritnounUS /ˈmerət/
any admirable quality or attribute
From this reading THERE was one merit (if merit it was) of my mother's establishment.
mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading THERE was one merit (if merit it was) of my mother's establishment.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading THERE was one merit (if merit it was) of my mother's establishment.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
not any; not one
From this reading No skeletons lurked in cupboards.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THERE was one merit (if merit it was) of my mother's establishment.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THERE was one merit (if merit it was) of my mother's establishment.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading They flaunted their grimness all over the place.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading They flaunted their grimness all over the place.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
rummagedverbUS /ˈrʌmɪdʒd/
past form of “rummage” — search haphazardly
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
sanctitynounUS /ˈsæŋktɪti/
the quality of being holy
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
skeletonsnounUS /ˈskelətənz/
plural of “skeleton” — something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading No skeletons lurked in cupboards.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They flaunted their grimness all over the place.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They flaunted their grimness all over the place.
in or at that place or location
From this reading THERE was one merit (if merit it was) of my mother's establishment.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They flaunted their grimness all over the place.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
trailedverbUS /treɪld/
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THERE was one merit (if merit it was) of my mother's establishment.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
which person or people
From this reading Such letters as she received trailed about the kitchen, for all who chose to read, until they were caught up to cleanse a frying-pan.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading As she possessed no private papers their sanctity was never inculcated; and I could have rummaged, had I so desired, in every drawer or box in the house without fear of correction.
