(~s)
1.
If you say something in an ~, you say it very quietly.
‘What d’you think?’ she asked in an ~...
Well-dressed clients were talking in polite ~s as they ate.
N-COUNT: in N
2.
If something has ~s of a particular kind, it suggests ideas or attitudes of this kind without expressing them directly.
...a witty, racy story with surprisingly serious ~s.
N-COUNT: with supp