Chapter XII
You could have knocked me down with a feather. It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent. I repeat, therefore, unblushingly--you could have knocked me down with a feather. I gasped. The little man wiped his eyes.
Simon the Jester
Chapter XII
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
You
could
have
knocked
me
down
with
a
feather.
It
is
a
trite
metaphor,
I
know;
but
it
is
none
the
less
excellent.
I
repeat,
therefore,
unblushingly--you
could
have
knocked
me
down
with
a
feather.
I
gasped.
The
little
man
wiped
his
eyes.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
You
could
have
knocked
me
down
with
a
feather.
Line 2
It
is
a
trite
metaphor,
I
know;
but
it
is
none
the
less
excellent.
Line 3
I
repeat,
therefore,
unblushingly--you
could
have
knocked
me
down
with
a
feather.
Line 4
I
gasped.
Line 5
The
little
man
wiped
his
eyes.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Could
modal verb
US /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “You could have knocked me down with a feather.”
Have
auxiliary verb
US /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You could have knocked me down with a feather.”
Know
noun
US /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.”
Little
noun
US /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “The little man wiped his eyes.”
None
pronoun
US /nʌn/
not one, and not any
From this reading “It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.”
Therefore
adverb
US /ˈðerfɔːr/
for that reason; as a result
From this reading “I repeat, therefore, unblushingly--you could have knocked me down with a feather.”
All words in this reading · 29
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 You could have knocked me down with a feather.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading You could have knocked me down with a feather.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You could have knocked me down with a feather.
excellent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The little man wiped his eyes.
feather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You could have knocked me down with a feather.
gasped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I gasped.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You could have knocked me down with a feather.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The little man wiped his eyes.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
knocked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You could have knocked me down with a feather.
knownounUS /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
less
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The little man wiped his eyes.
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The little man wiped his eyes.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You could have knocked me down with a feather.
metaphor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
nonepronounUS /nʌn/
not one, and not any
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
repeat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I repeat, therefore, unblushingly--you could have knocked me down with a feather.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
thereforeadverbUS /ˈðerfɔːr/
for that reason; as a result
From this reading I repeat, therefore, unblushingly--you could have knocked me down with a feather.
trite
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is a trite metaphor, I know; but it is none the less excellent.
unblushingly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I repeat, therefore, unblushingly--you could have knocked me down with a feather.
wiped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The little man wiped his eyes.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading You could have knocked me down with a feather.
YoupronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You could have knocked me down with a feather.