used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
(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 A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading And if, moreover, your apartment has been closed and all the servants sent off on a holiday?
appearingnounUS /əˈpɪrɪŋ/
formal attendance (in court or at a hearing) of a party in an action
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
subject to appointment
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading And if, moreover, your apartment has been closed and all the servants sent off on a holiday?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
chastenedverbUS /ˈtʃeɪsənd/
past form of “chasten” — censure severely
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading And if, moreover, your apartment has been closed and all the servants sent off on a holiday?
clubsnounUS /klʌbz/
plural of “club” — a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
consequentlyadverbUS /ˈkɑːnsəkwəntli/
(sentence connectors) because of the reason given
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
crisisnounUS /ˈkraɪsəs/
an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
destroyingverbUS /dɪˈstrɔɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “destroy” — do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
detailnounUS /dɪˈteɪl/
an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
disagreeableadjectiveUS /ˌdɪsəˈɡriːəbəl/
not to your liking
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
dramaticadjectiveUS /drəˈmætɪk/
suitable to or characteristic of drama
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
encroachingadjectiveUS /ɪnˈkroʊtʃɪŋ/
gradually intrusive without right or permission
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
exaltedadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzɔːltɪd/
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
an item of information that is typical of a class or group
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
fictitiousadjectiveUS /fɪkˈtɪʃəs/
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
the act of departing
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And if, moreover, your apartment has been closed and all the servants sent off on a holiday?
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
holidaynounUS /ˈhɑːlədeɪ/
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading And if, moreover, your apartment has been closed and all the servants sent off on a holiday?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
of great significance or value
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
and nothing more
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
in addition to what has just been said
From this reading And if, moreover, your apartment has been closed and all the servants sent off on a holiday?
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And if, moreover, your apartment has been closed and all the servants sent off on a holiday?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
RODnounUS /rɑːd/
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading And if, moreover, your apartment has been closed and all the servants sent off on a holiday?
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading And if, moreover, your apartment has been closed and all the servants sent off on a holiday?
shyverbUS /ʃaɪ/
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
sordidadjectiveUS /ˈsɔːrdəd/
morally degraded
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
express a supposition
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
carry out
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
telegramnounUS /ˈteləɡræm/
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
in or at that place or location
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
tolerablyadverb
in an acceptable (but not outstanding) manner
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
precisely as stated
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
nonexistent
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading That is a fair example of the mean way sordid detail has of encroaching on the big things of life and destroying what little pleasure we might take in their dramatic value.
(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 A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
at the time that
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
in or at the place that
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
which person or people
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
in the company of; together with
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading When he arrived in New York James had the chastened, exalted feeling of one who has just passed a great and disagreeable crisis and got through with it, on the whole, very tolerably well.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Especially if you have your own reasons for not wanting Business to know that you have returned before the appointed time, and consequently are shy about appearing in clubs and places where it would be likely to get wind of your presence?
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading A ROD OF IRON It is all very well to be suddenly called back to town by telegram on important business, but suppose the business is wholly fictitious--what are you going to do with yourself when you get there?
