Sentence:  The shofer opens the door of the after cockpit of the machine, and the man gets out fust, treadin' gingerly but grand, as if he was doin' the ground a <WSD>condescension</WSD> by steppin' on it. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The act of condescending; a manner of behaving toward others in an outwardly polite way that nevertheless implies one's own superiority to the others; patronizing courtesy toward inferiors. (s)