used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
(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 Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading With an utterly expressionless face he looked at the stiletto.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading With an utterly expressionless face he looked at the stiletto.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It might have been made by Cellini himself and have been worn by Cesare Borgia.
bladenounUS /bleɪd/
especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
BorgianounUS /ˈbɔːrdʒə/
Italian pope whose nepotism put the Borgia family in power in Italy (1378-1458)
From this reading It might have been made by Cellini himself and have been worn by Cesare Borgia.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It might have been made by Cellini himself and have been worn by Cesare Borgia.
calculationsnounUS /ˌkælkjəˈleɪʃənz/
plural of “calculation” — the procedure of calculating; determining something by mathematical or logical methods
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
CellininounUS /tʃeˈliːni/
Italian sculptor (1500-1571)
From this reading It might have been made by Cellini himself and have been worn by Cesare Borgia.
Cesare
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It might have been made by Cellini himself and have been worn by Cesare Borgia.
circlesnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəlz/
plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
confessionnounUS /kənˈfeʃən/
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
Derrington
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
diplomaticadjectiveUS /ˌdɪpləˈmætɪk/
relating to or characteristic of diplomacy
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
displaynounUS /dɪˈspleɪ/
something intended to communicate a particular impression
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
any strong feeling
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
expressionlessadjectiveUS /ɪkspreʃənlɪs/
deliberately impassive in manner
From this reading With an utterly expressionless face he looked at the stiletto.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading With an utterly expressionless face he looked at the stiletto.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It might have been made by Cellini himself and have been worn by Cesare Borgia.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With an utterly expressionless face he looked at the stiletto.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading It might have been made by Cellini himself and have been worn by Cesare Borgia.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading With an utterly expressionless face he looked at the stiletto.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It might have been made by Cellini himself and have been worn by Cesare Borgia.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It might have been made by Cellini himself and have been worn by Cesare Borgia.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
RECOGNITIONnounUS /ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃən/
the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
relicnounUS /ˈrelɪk/
an antiquity that has survived from the distant past
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
RenaissancenounUS /ˌrenəˈsɑːns/
the period of European history at the close of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world; a cultural rebirth from the 14th through the middle of the 17th centuries
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
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 It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
startleverbUS /ˈstɑːrtəl/
to stimulate to action
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
stilettonounUS /stəˈletoʊ/
a small dagger with a tapered blade
From this reading With an utterly expressionless face he looked at the stiletto.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading With an utterly expressionless face he looked at the stiletto.
having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
WardnounUS /wɔːrd/
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A RECOGNITION If Mrs. Ward expected to startle Derrington into a confession she was never more mistaken in her calculations.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With an utterly expressionless face he looked at the stiletto.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Lord Derrington had not moved in diplomatic circles all his life without knowing how to guard against the display of emotion.
workmanshipnounUS /ˈwɜːrkmənʃɪp/
skill in an occupation or trade
From this reading It was a slender steel blade with a silver handle of Renaissance workmanship, evidently a valuable and curious relic of the Middle Ages.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading It might have been made by Cellini himself and have been worn by Cesare Borgia.
