used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "He's safe--absolutely safe," McLean confirmed.
(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 And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
AndrewnounUS /ˈændruː/
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland
From this reading It was her response to Andrew McLean's greeting that evening.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
CAIROnounUS /ˈkaɪroʊ/
a town at the southern tip of Illinois at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
clothing in general
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
confirmedadjectiveUS /kənˈfɜːrmd/
of persons; not subject to change
From this reading "He's safe--absolutely safe," McLean confirmed.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading It was her response to Andrew McLean's greeting that evening.
extraordinarilyadverbUS /ekˌstrɔːrdəˈnerəli/
extremely
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
frocknounUS /frɑːk/
a long, loose outer garment
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
gleamsnounUS /ɡliːmz/
plural of “gleam” — an appearance of reflected light
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
greetingnounUS /ˈɡriːtɪŋ/
(usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading It was her response to Andrew McLean's greeting that evening.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
harassmentnounUS /hərˈæsmənt/
a feeling of intense annoyance caused by being tormented
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
He's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's safe--absolutely safe," McLean confirmed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was her response to Andrew McLean's greeting that evening.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
of great significance or value
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was her response to Andrew McLean's greeting that evening.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
Jeffries
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
immediately past
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
McLean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's safe--absolutely safe," McLean confirmed.
McLean's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was her response to Andrew McLean's greeting that evening.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
information about recent and important events
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
not any; not one
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
positivesnounUS /ˈpɑːzətɪvz/
plural of “positive” — the primary form of an adjective or adverb; denotes a quality without qualification, comparison, or relation to increase or diminution
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
on the contrary
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
responsenounUS /rɪˈspɑːns/
a result
From this reading It was her response to Andrew McLean's greeting that evening.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading "He's safe--absolutely safe," McLean confirmed.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
silveryadjectiveUS /ˈsɪlvəri/
resembling or reminiscent of silver
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
suspensenounUS /səˈspens/
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
tardyadjectiveUS /ˈtɑːrdi/
after the expected or usual time; delayed
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was her response to Andrew McLean's greeting that evening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was her response to Andrew McLean's greeting that evening.
precisely as stated
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
vivaciousadjectiveUS /vəˈveɪʃəs/
vigorous and animated
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was her response to Andrew McLean's greeting that evening.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading He had made rather a tardy appearance at the hotel, for there had been an important dinner with an important bank official passing through Cairo to escape from, but he arrived at last, looking extraordinarily well in his very best dinner clothes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading IN CAIRO "It's good news!" said Miss Jeffries with bright positives.
woefuladjectiveUS /ˈwoʊfəl/
affected by or full of grief or woe
From this reading And Miss Jeffries, for all her harassment of suspense, was no woeful object in a vivacious blue evening frock with silvery gleams.
