All 7 Uses of
diligent
in
Madame Bovary
- But in making this movement, as she leant back in her chair, she saw in the distance, right on the line of the horizon, the old diligence, the "Hirondelle," that was slowly descending the hill of Leux, dragging after it a long trail of dust.†
Chpt 2.8 (definition 1)
- He was adjudicator for a supply of cider to the hospital at Neufchatel; Monsieur Guillaumin promised him some shares in the turf-pits of Gaumesnil, and he dreamt of establishing a new diligence service between Arcueil and Rouen, which no doubt would not be long in ruining the ramshackle van of the "Lion d'Or," and that, travelling faster, at a cheaper rate, and carrying more luggage, would thus put into his hands the whole commerce of Yonville.†
Chpt 2.14 (definition 1)
- Chapter Two On reaching the inn, Madame Bovary was surprised not to see the diligence.†
Chpt 3.2 (definition 1) *
- She leant with both hands against the window, drinking in the breeze; the three horses galloped, the stones grated in the mud, the diligence rocked, and Hivert, from afar, hailed the carts on the road, while the bourgeois who had spent the night at the Guillaume woods came quietly down the hill in their little family carriages.†
Chpt 3.5 (definition 1)
- Often they had started when, with a sudden movement, his hat entered the diligence through the small window, while he clung with his other arm to the footboard, between the wheels splashing mud.†
Chpt 3.5 (definition 1)
- The idea of seeing again the place where his youth had been spent no doubt excited him, for during the whole journey he never ceased talking, and as soon as he had arrived, he jumped quickly out of the diligence to go in search of Leon.†
Chpt 3.6 (definition 1)
Uses with a very rare meaning:
- The diligence stopped at the "Croix-Rouge" in the Place Beauvoisine.
Chpt 2.14 (definition 2) *diligence = stagecoach
Definitions:
-
(1) (diligent as in: she is diligent) hard work and care in tasks -- often continuing when others might quit because of difficulties
-
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus) More specifically in law, diligence or due diligence refers to the care or attention expected by the law in doing something such as fulfilling the terms of a contract.
More rarely, but sometimes seen in classic literature, a diligence is a public stagecoach.