used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
accusednounUS /əˈkjuːzd/
a defendant in a criminal proceeding
From this reading "And you knew all this an hour ago!" she accused him incoherently.
anew
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
in the past
From this reading "And you knew all this an hour ago!" she accused him incoherently.
(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 you knew all this an hour ago!" she accused him incoherently.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "And you knew all this an hour ago!" she accused him incoherently.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But the effort at flippancy was evidently quite too much for her.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the effort at flippancy was evidently quite too much for her.
Davidson's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading But the effort at flippancy was evidently quite too much for her.
EsthernounUS /ˈestər/
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading But the effort at flippancy was evidently quite too much for her.
flippancynoun
inappropriate levity
From this reading But the effort at flippancy was evidently quite too much for her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
the act of departing
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But the effort at flippancy was evidently quite too much for her.
heroicallyadverbUS /ˌhɪˈroʊɪkli/
in a heroic manner
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "And you knew all this an hour ago!" she accused him incoherently.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "And you knew all this an hour ago!" she accused him incoherently.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
incoherentlyadverbUS /ˌɪnkoʊˈhɪrəntli/
in an incoherent manner
From this reading "And you knew all this an hour ago!" she accused him incoherently.
indistinguishableadjectiveUS /ˌɪndɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃəbəl/
exactly alike; incapable of being perceived as different
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
jokedverbUS /dʒoʊkt/
past form of “joke” — tell a joke; speak humorously
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "And you knew all this an hour ago!" she accused him incoherently.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading But the effort at flippancy was evidently quite too much for her.
piazzanounUS /piˈæzə/
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
pitchedadjectiveUS /pɪtʃt/
(of sound) set to a certain pitch or key; usually used as a combining form
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading But the effort at flippancy was evidently quite too much for her.
railingnounUS /ˈreɪlɪŋ/
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
relaxedadjectiveUS /rɪˈlækst/
without strain or anxiety
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
strainedadjectiveUS /streɪnd/
lacking natural ease
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The strained lines around Esther Davidson's mouth relaxed for a second.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "And you knew all this an hour ago!" she accused him incoherently.
move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But the effort at flippancy was evidently quite too much for her.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But the effort at flippancy was evidently quite too much for her.
(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 "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, what in thunder am I going to do?" she joked heroically.
at the time that
From this reading In another instant her head pitched forward against the piazza railing and her voice, when she spoke again, was almost indistinguishable.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And you knew all this an hour ago!" she accused him incoherently.
