used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A cynic, is he?
(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 Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading JOHN HARTLEY, "The Siren City."
civetnounUS /ˈsɪvət/
cat-like mammal typically secreting musk used in perfumes
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
coffee-cup
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
combverbUS /koʊm/
straighten with a comb
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
confidedverbUS /kənˈfaɪdɪd/
past form of “confide” — reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
Cordelia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
cynicnounUS /ˈsɪnɪk/
someone who is critical of the motives of others
From this reading A cynic, is he?
a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
an item of information that is typical of a class or group
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
grainnounUS /ɡreɪn/
a relatively small granular particle of a substance
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
HARTLEYnounUS /ˈhɑːrtli/
English philosopher who introduced the theory of the association of ideas (1705-1757)
From this reading JOHN HARTLEY, "The Siren City."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A cynic, is he?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
honeynounUS /ˈhʌni/
a sweet yellow liquid produced by bees
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
husband'snounUS /ˈhʌzbəndz/
possessive form of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
not in action or at work
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A cynic, is he?
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading JOHN HARTLEY, "The Siren City."
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
ouncenounUS /aʊns/
a unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or one twelfth of a troy pound
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
perversitynounUS /pərˈvɜːrsəti/
deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
pilferverbUS /ˈpɪlfər/
make off with belongings of others
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
PoppynounUS /ˈpɑːpi/
annual or biennial or perennial herbs having showy flowers
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
possession of controlling influence
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
REINFORCEMENTSnounUS /ˌriːɪnˈfɔːrsmənts/
plural of “reinforcement” — a military operation (often involving new supplies of men and materiel) to strengthen a military force or aid in the performance of its mission
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
unusual or striking
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
scholarsnounUS /ˈskɑːlərz/
plural of “scholar” — a learned person (especially in the humanities); someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
SirennounUS /ˈsaɪrən/
a sea nymph (part woman and part bird) supposed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived
From this reading JOHN HARTLEY, "The Siren City."
Spaulding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To Cordelia over her coffee-cup Mrs. Spaulding confided a remarkable example of her husband's perversity.
be standing; be upright
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
swarmnounUS /swɔːrm/
a moving crowd
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
carry out
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
waitsnounUS /weɪts/
plural of “wait” — time during which some action is awaited
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
in or at the place that
From this reading REINFORCEMENTS And though idle as scholars we stand, Where they pilfer and swarm in our home, The honey of power waits the hand But daring to pilfer the comb.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then take all he says with an ounce of civet and a grain of salt.--"The Silver Poppy."
