A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London. Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso! There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour. It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled. It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.”
above and across; more than
From this reading “It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.”
an empty, uncultivated area of land
From this reading “There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.”
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
above and across; more than
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three crushing reverses in eight days--Stormberg, Magersfontein, and finally Colenso!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It has been universally assumed that the English are a serious nation.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
an empty, uncultivated area of land
From this reading There was no getting rid of the facts, or the meaning of them in respect of incapacity, blundering, and reckless waste of personal valour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Black Week had just ended; but the humiliation of it lay, as a dead weight, upon the heart of London.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was a sorry tale, and one over which Europe at large chuckled.
