used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “It was,” agreed the repentant lady.
ahemnoun
the utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat; intended to get attention, express hesitancy, fill a pause, hide embarrassment, warn a friend, etc.
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
cacklingverbUS /ˈkækəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “cackle” — talk or utter in a cackling manner
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
Chumley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was the wizened Mr. Chumley right on her heels.
a small house with a single story
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “I might have gone farther and done much worse in my excitement.”
the act of escaping physically
From this reading “Very fortunate escape—very fortunate escape, indeed,” said the landlord.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading “I might have gone farther and done much worse in my excitement.”
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading “I might have gone farther and done much worse in my excitement.”
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading “Very fortunate escape—very fortunate escape, indeed,” said the landlord.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading There was the wizened Mr. Chumley right on her heels.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
homewardadverbUS /ˈhoʊmwərd/
toward home
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I might have gone farther and done much worse in my excitement.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I might have gone farther and done much worse in my excitement.”
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “Very fortunate escape—very fortunate escape, indeed,” said the landlord.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It was,” agreed the repentant lady.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “It was,” agreed the repentant lady.
landlordnounUS /ˈlændlɔːrd/
a landowner who leases to others
From this reading “Very fortunate escape—very fortunate escape, indeed,” said the landlord.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “I might have gone farther and done much worse in my excitement.”
MorsenounUS /mɔːrs/
a telegraph code in which letters and numbers are represented by strings of dots and dashes (short and long signals)
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
a form of address for a man
From this reading There was the wizened Mr. Chumley right on her heels.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “I might have gone farther and done much worse in my excitement.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I might have gone farther and done much worse in my excitement.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was the wizened Mr. Chumley right on her heels.
PrenticenounUS /ˈprentɪs/
works for an expert to learn a trade
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
repentantadjectiveUS /rɪˈpentənt/
feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds
From this reading “It was,” agreed the repentant lady.
precisely, exactly
From this reading There was the wizened Mr. Chumley right on her heels.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Very fortunate escape—very fortunate escape, indeed,” said the landlord.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was the wizened Mr. Chumley right on her heels.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
precisely as stated
From this reading “Very fortunate escape—very fortunate escape, indeed,” said the landlord.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was the wizened Mr. Chumley right on her heels.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
wizenedadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪzənd/
lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
From this reading There was the wizened Mr. Chumley right on her heels.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading “I might have gone farther and done much worse in my excitement.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Mrs Prentice would have turned away from the gate of the Morse cottage and gone her homeward way, too, had she not heard a cackling little “ahem!” behind her.
