used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
(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 From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
Areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading There'll be a change in the arms, methinks."
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There'll be a change in the arms, methinks."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
busieradjectiveUS /ˈbɪziər/
comparative of “busy” — actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading There'll be a change in the arms, methinks."
Colan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
fliesnounUS /flaɪz/
(theater) the space over the stage (out of view of the audience) used to store scenery (drop curtains)
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
hostessnounUS /ˈhoʊstəs/
a woman host
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
IncredulousadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkredʒələs/
not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
held up in the air
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
methinks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There'll be a change in the arms, methinks."
Minivernoun
trimming on ceremonial robes consisting of white or light grey fur
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
name'snounUS /neɪmz/
possessive form of “name” — a language unit by which a person or thing is known
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
plumpadjectiveUS /plʌmp/
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
rapidadjectiveUS /ˈræpəd/
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
rumournounUS /ˈruːmər/
gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
Southeynoun
English poet and friend of Wordsworth and Coleridge (1774-1843)
From this reading Southey.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
There'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There'll be a change in the arms, methinks."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
tonguesnounUS /tʌŋz/
plural of “tongue” — a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading From house to house, from street to street, The rapid rumour flies; Incredulous ears it finds, and hands Are lifted in surprise; And tongues through all the astonished town Are busier now than eyes.
Trevethlan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
be dressed in
From this reading "So, Mistress Miniver, the old house is like to wear a new sign before many days.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading "Not while my name's Miniver, Master Colan," answered the plump hostess of the Trevethlan Arms.
