A word linguaphiles need to know. But I don't remember seeing it in AWADtalk.

"In the midst of this growing and important stress the broker became suddenly aware of a high-rolled fringe of golden hair under a nodding canopy of velvet and ostrich tips, an imitation sealskin sacque and a string of beads as large as hickory nuts, ending near the floor with a silver heart. There was a self-possessed young lady connected with these accessories; and Pitcher was there to construe her."


construe
SYLLABICATION: con·strue
PRONUNCIATION: AUDIO: kn-str KEY
VERB: Inflected forms: con·strued, con·stru·ing, con·strues

TRANSITIVE VERB: 1. To adduce or explain the meaning of; interpret: construed my smile as assent. See synonyms at explain.
2. Grammar a. To analyze the structure of (a clause or sentence). b. To use syntactically: The noun fish can be construed as singular or plural.
3. To translate, especially aloud.
INTRANSITIVE VERB: 1. To analyze grammatical structure.
2. To be subject to grammatical analysis.
NOUN: (knstr) An interpretation or translation.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English construen, from Late Latin cnstruere, from Latin, to build. See construct.
OTHER FORMS: con·strual —NOUN