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The Flirt
The Flirt

Chapter VI

Cover illustration for The Flirt
Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.
But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.
Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.
Then, with recovered coolness, she asked:
"Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Flirt

Chapter VI

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.
Line 2
But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.
Line 3
Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.
Line 4
Then, with recovered coolness, she asked:
Line 5
"Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Above preposition US /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading “Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.”

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then, with recovered coolness, she asked:”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"”

Course noun US /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.”

Drew noun US /drew/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.”

All words in this reading · 84

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

all

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

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then, with recovered coolness, she asked:

audibly

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

backs

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

bending

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

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

breath

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

cannot

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

coolness

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

From this reading Then, with recovered coolness, she asked:

Cora

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

Corliss

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

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

coursenounUS /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

deep

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

delight

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

dialogues

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

Didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

disliked

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

drewnounUS /drew/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

effect

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

fingers

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

finishing

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

followed

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

fraught

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

gesture

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

gracefully

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

hair

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

hairpin

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

house

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

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

Italy

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

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

just

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

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

Mr

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

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

nape

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

near

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

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

neck

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

old

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

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

Presently

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

prettily

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

recovered

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

From this reading Then, with recovered coolness, she asked:

rouge

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

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

said

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

sell

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

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

shut

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

signal

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

silences

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

smoothed

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

teeth

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

temple

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

then

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

tighter

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

tucking

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

uncharacteristic

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

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

uselessly

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

From this reading Presently, she gracefully and uselessly smoothed her hair from the left temple with the backs of her fingers, of course finishing the gesture prettily by tucking in a hairpin tighter above the nape of her neck.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was as if his bending near her had been to rouge her.

way

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

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading But it cannot be said that she disliked his effect upon her; for the deep breath she drew in audibly, through her shut teeth, was a signal of delight; and then followed one of those fraught silences not uncharacteristic of dialogues with Cora.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Did you come all the way from Italy just to sell our old house, Mr. Corliss?"