3 uses
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Definition
done secretly or in a manner that avoids notice
- The midwife surreptitiously confiscated the caul and later sold it to a sailor from the Brooklyn Navy Yard for two dollars.Chapter 9 (25% in)
surreptitiously = secretly
(editor's note: "Confiscated the caul," could be worded as "took the membrane that covered the head." Some believed the membrane brought luck.)
(editor's note: "Confiscated the caul," could be worded as "took the membrane that covered the head." Some believed the membrane brought luck.)
- But most came just to touch the boughs and surreptitiously pinch a fingerful of spruce needles together to release the fragrance.Chapter 27 (9% in)
- Nolan," he said, surreptitiously referring to the slip of paper on which the orderly had written her name and address, "I sympathize with you in your great grief.Chapter 36 (14% in)
There are no more uses of "surreptitious" in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Typical Usage
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