Chapter II
XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook? Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald? You threaten us, fellow? Do your worst! Blow your pipe there till you burst!"
Browning's Shorter Poems
Chapter II
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XI
"How?"
cried
the
Mayor,
"d'ye
think
I
brook
Being
worse
treated
than
a
cook?
Insulted
by
a
lazy
ribald
With
idle
pipe
and
vesture
piebald?
You
threaten
us,
fellow?
Do
your
worst!
Blow
your
pipe
there
till
you
burst!"
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
XI
"How?"
cried
the
Mayor,
"d'ye
think
I
brook
Being
worse
treated
than
a
cook?
Line 2
Insulted
by
a
lazy
ribald
With
idle
pipe
and
vesture
piebald?
Line 3
You
threaten
us,
fellow?
Line 4
Do
your
worst!
Line 5
Blow
your
pipe
there
till
you
burst!"
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Being
auxiliary verb
US /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading “XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?”
Cried
noun
US /cried/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?”
Pipe
noun
US /pipe/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?”
Think
noun
US /think/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?”
Till
preposition
US /tɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading “Blow your pipe there till you burst!"”
All words in this reading · 36
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
Beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
Blow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Blow your pipe there till you burst!"
brook
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
burst
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Blow your pipe there till you burst!"
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
cook
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
criednounUS /cried/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
d'ye
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do your worst!
fellow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You threaten us, fellow?
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
idle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
Insulted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
lazy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
Mayor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
piebald
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
pipe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
ribald
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Blow your pipe there till you burst!"
thinknounUS /think/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
threaten
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You threaten us, fellow?
tillprepositionUS /tɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Blow your pipe there till you burst!"
treated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
uspronounUS /ʌs/
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You threaten us, fellow?
vesture
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
WithprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Insulted by a lazy ribald With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
worse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
worst
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Do your worst!
XI
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XI "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook Being worse treated than a cook?
YoupronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You threaten us, fellow?
yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do your worst!