aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
AfricanounUS /ˈæfrəkɑː/
the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
the lower side of anything
From this reading THE BOTTOM DRAWER That night he realised his own picture.
terminate
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading One o'clock was the hour suggested by Miss Casata.
Casata
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One o'clock was the hour suggested by Miss Casata.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
dishonourverb
bring shame or dishonor upon
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
DRAWERnounUS /drɔːr/
a boxlike container in a piece of furniture; made so as to slide in and out
From this reading THE BOTTOM DRAWER That night he realised his own picture.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
ghostsnounUS /ɡoʊsts/
plural of “ghost” — a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE BOTTOM DRAWER That night he realised his own picture.
hedgedadjectiveUS /hedʒd/
evasively worded in order to avoid an unqualified statement
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE BOTTOM DRAWER That night he realised his own picture.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading One o'clock was the hour suggested by Miss Casata.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading One o'clock was the hour suggested by Miss Casata.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading THE BOTTOM DRAWER That night he realised his own picture.
not any; not one
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading One o'clock was the hour suggested by Miss Casata.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One o'clock was the hour suggested by Miss Casata.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading THE BOTTOM DRAWER That night he realised his own picture.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading THE BOTTOM DRAWER That night he realised his own picture.
plighted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
by chance
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
realisedadjectiveUS /ˈriːəlaɪzd/
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading THE BOTTOM DRAWER That night he realised his own picture.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading One o'clock was the hour suggested by Miss Casata.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE BOTTOM DRAWER That night he realised his own picture.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BOTTOM DRAWER That night he realised his own picture.
a special situation
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
thornsnounUS /θɔːrnz/
plural of “thorn” — something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Twenty times before that hour arrived he told himself that he had better return to Africa--ghosts or no ghosts--than do this thing.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One o'clock was the hour suggested by Miss Casata.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
whicheverdeterminerUS /wɪˈtʃevər/
any one of a set, it does not matter which
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading If he did this thing he would break his plighted word; quite possibly lose his love and his fortune too.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It seemed to him that dishonour hedged him round about; that whichever way he went he would find himself among the thorns.
