Chapter XV

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

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

the state of being absent

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

later than; following

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

frightening because of an awareness of danger

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

(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 We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

Having no one else present.

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

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

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

-ing form of “attract” — direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

have

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

for the reason that

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

main force of a blow etc

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

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

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

a line leading to a place or point

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

having the place or position changed

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading MENTAL RESERVATIONS I sat down rather uncomfortably.

being effective without wasting time or effort or expense

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

past form of “emanate” — proceed or issue forth, as from a source

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

a person responsible for the administration of a business

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

use or manipulate to one's advantage

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

a social unit living together

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

a rapid active commotion

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

devoid of good sense or judgment

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

destroyed or killed

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

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

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

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

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

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

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading MENTAL RESERVATIONS I sat down rather uncomfortably.

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

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

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

resulting from one's intentions

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

lacking a steady rhythm

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

a polite name for any woman

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

involving the mind or an intellectual process

From this reading MENTAL RESERVATIONS I sat down rather uncomfortably.

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

to a great degree or extent

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

an announcement containing information about an event

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

and nothing more

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

have ownership or possession of

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

people in general considered as a whole

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

on the contrary

From this reading MENTAL RESERVATIONS I sat down rather uncomfortably.

Scottish philosopher of common sense who opposed the ideas of David Hume (1710-1796)

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

plural of “reservation” — a district that is reserved for particular purpose

From this reading MENTAL RESERVATIONS I sat down rather uncomfortably.

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading MENTAL RESERVATIONS I sat down rather uncomfortably.

try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

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

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

the husband of your daughter

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

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

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

the process of using your mind to consider something carefully

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

showing lack of careful thought

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

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

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

in physical discomfort

From this reading MENTAL RESERVATIONS I sat down rather uncomfortably.

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

disturb the balance or stability of

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

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

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We had all of us been made to look foolish, and I was here to bear the brunt of it alone.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What had become of Reid, I did not know; but I was much mistaken in him if he had not gone off upon some highly efficient search of his own, after alarming Lady and her father.

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

in the company of; together with

From this reading If Sheila and I had been disturbed, we had at least only acted under his direction; and the whole foolish flurry, with its risk of attracting public attention, had emanated from the jerky mind of Reid.

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading So the whole family had been upset because a rather thoughtless little woman had gone out without thinking to give notice of her intended absence, and because an officious young son-in-law had jumped at the chance to exploit his executive ability.