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The Strollers
The Strollers

Chapter XXIII

Cover illustration for The Strollers
Context Illustration Reading 1/106 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!
Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.
He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!
Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!
On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Strollers

Chapter XXIII

Reading 1/106 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!
Line 2
Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.
Line 3
He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!
Line 4
Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!
Line 5
On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.”

Foot noun US /foot/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!”

Order noun US /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.”

Running noun US /ˈrunning/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!”

All words in this reading · 72

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

appeared

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

From this reading On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

bachelor's

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

From this reading On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.

BARD

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

bed

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

carelessly

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

From this reading Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.

carpet

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

chair

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

cold

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

collar

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

confusion

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

From this reading On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.

CYNICAL

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

down

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

dressed

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

dusty

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.

evidence

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

From this reading On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.

feet

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

floors

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

footnounUS /foot/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

getting

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

hand

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

head

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

From this reading Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

idea

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

From this reading On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.

lay

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

From this reading Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.

lighted

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

lo

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

lodger's

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

From this reading Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.

looking

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

lurking

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

necktie

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

needles

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

ordernounUS /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.

out

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

OverprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.

pins

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

Presto

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

probably

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

reach

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

revealing

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

risk

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

room

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

runningnounUS /ˈrunning/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

shirt

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

side

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

From this reading On every side appeared evidence of confusion, or a bachelor's idea of order.

stray

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

tacks

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

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

there

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

thoroughfare

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

thrown

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

From this reading Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

up

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

wardrobe

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

From this reading Over the foot and the head of the bed the lodger's wardrobe lay carelessly thrown.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading He had but to reach up, and lo! his shirt was at hand; to reach down, and there were collar and necktie!

window

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

From this reading A CYNICAL BARD A dusty window looking out upon a dusty thoroughfare; a dusty room, lighted by the dusty window, and revealing a dusty chair, a dusty carpet and--probably--a dusty bed!

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Presto, he was dressed, without getting out of bed, running no risk from cold floors for cold feet, lurking tacks or stray needles and pins!