The Only Use of
deign
in
To Kill a Mockingbird
- Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson, had Miss Maudie deigned to permit a geranium on her premises.
p. 194.7deigned = done something that one considers to be below one's dignity
Definition:
do something that one considers to be below one's dignity