abackadverbUS /əˈbæk/
having the wind against the forward side of the sails
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
anew
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The house was always as well kept as the circumstances would permit.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
the two together, not just one
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading The house was always as well kept as the circumstances would permit.
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
fifthnounUS /fɪfθ/
a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
flusteredadjectiveUS /ˈflʌstərd/
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The house was always as well kept as the circumstances would permit.
housekeepernounUS /ˈhaʊskiːpər/
a servant who is employed to perform domestic task in a household
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The house was always as well kept as the circumstances would permit.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Nor was Miss Murray.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
MurraynounUS /ˈmɜːri/
British classical scholar (born in Australia) who advocated the League of Nations and the United Nations (1866-1957)
From this reading “Nor was Miss Murray.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading “Nor was Miss Murray.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading The house was always as well kept as the circumstances would permit.
cut with a saw
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
express in speech
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
StewardnounUS /ˈstuːərd/
someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
unpreparedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnpriˈperd/
without preparation; not prepared for
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “He came over suddenly and dropped down on us, so to speak, on the morning of the fifth of that month.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
(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 The house was always as well kept as the circumstances would permit.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
at the time that
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The house was always as well kept as the circumstances would permit.
a late time of life
From this reading “It was not until the next June, when we had been parted nearly two years, that I saw my father again.
but in spite of that
From this reading “Steward and housekeeper were both ‘taken aback’ and ‘flustered,’ as they described themselves; yet they were not unprepared.
