matters of personal concern
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
(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 But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
appointmentnounUS /əˈpɔɪntmənt/
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading After all, he had to go on as if nothing had happened, and it was as well, he told himself, to begin immediately.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading After all, he had to go on as if nothing had happened, and it was as well, he told himself, to begin immediately.
betrayingverbUS /bɪˈtreɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading It seemed impossible, too, to meet Charlotte without betraying embarrassment.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
CharlottenounUS /ˈʃɑːrlət/
the largest city in North Carolina; located in south central North Carolina
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
commonplaceadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmənpleɪs/
completely ordinary and unremarkable
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
DavisnounUS /ˈdeɪvəs/
English navigator who explored the Arctic while searching for the Northwest Passage (1550-1605)
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
dineverbUS /daɪn/
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
embarrassmentnounUS /ɪmˈberəsmənt/
the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public
From this reading It seemed impossible, too, to meet Charlotte without betraying embarrassment.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
everydayadjectiveUS /ˈevriˈdeɪ/
found in the ordinary course of events
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
accept an excuse for
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
make full, also in a metaphorical sense
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading After all, he had to go on as if nothing had happened, and it was as well, he told himself, to begin immediately.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading After all, he had to go on as if nothing had happened, and it was as well, he told himself, to begin immediately.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
hour'snounUS /ˈaʊərz/
possessive form of “hour” — a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading After all, he had to go on as if nothing had happened, and it was as well, he told himself, to begin immediately.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading After all, he had to go on as if nothing had happened, and it was as well, he told himself, to begin immediately.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
an instinctive motive
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
come together
From this reading It seemed impossible, too, to meet Charlotte without betraying embarrassment.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading After all, he had to go on as if nothing had happened, and it was as well, he told himself, to begin immediately.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading After all, he had to go on as if nothing had happened, and it was as well, he told himself, to begin immediately.
on one occasion
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
placiditynoun
a feeling of calmness; a quiet and undisturbed feeling
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
Sheila
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
a state of social isolation
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seemed to him impossible to get back, at once, to the safe level of everyday life, of commonplace affairs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading After all, he had to go on as if nothing had happened, and it was as well, he told himself, to begin immediately.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It seemed impossible, too, to meet Charlotte without betraying embarrassment.
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading But after an hour's solitude, he had sufficient command of himself to fill the appointment, and he appeared at the Davis house with all his usual placidity of manner.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
(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 After all, he had to go on as if nothing had happened, and it was as well, he told himself, to begin immediately.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Peter had engaged to dine with Charlotte that night, but after his talk with Sheila, his first impulse was to excuse himself.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading It seemed impossible, too, to meet Charlotte without betraying embarrassment.
