used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE DETECTIVE ACQUIRES A WIFE.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Say that he’ll arrive there about half past nine to-night.”
ACQUIRESverbUS /əˈkwaɪərz/
third-person singular of “acquire” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading THE DETECTIVE ACQUIRES A WIFE.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Say that he’ll arrive there about half past nine to-night.”
a youthful male person
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading “It’s a risky business,” he warned him.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
a person who is in charge
From this reading Patsy eyed his chief doubtfully.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading THE DETECTIVE ACQUIRES A WIFE.
doubtfullyadverb
in a doubtful manner
From this reading Patsy eyed his chief doubtfully.
eyedadjectiveUS /aɪd/
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading Patsy eyed his chief doubtfully.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Say that he’ll arrive there about half past nine to-night.”
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “It’s a risky business,” he warned him.
he'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Say that he’ll arrive there about half past nine to-night.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “It’s a risky business,” he warned him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s a risky business,” he warned him.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading Say that he’ll arrive there about half past nine to-night.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
obligeverbUS /əˈblaɪdʒ/
force somebody to do something
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Say that he’ll arrive there about half past nine to-night.”
PatsynounUS /ˈpætsi/
a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading Patsy eyed his chief doubtfully.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
riskyadjectiveUS /ˈrɪski/
involving risk or danger
From this reading “It’s a risky business,” he warned him.
express in words
From this reading Say that he’ll arrive there about half past nine to-night.”
telephonenounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DETECTIVE ACQUIRES A WIFE.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Say that he’ll arrive there about half past nine to-night.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
to-night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Say that he’ll arrive there about half past nine to-night.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading “It’s a risky business,” he warned him.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading THE DETECTIVE ACQUIRES A WIFE.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
you'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Now, then, my boy,” the detective went on, pointing to the telephone on his desk, “you’ll oblige me by calling up Miss Worth and telling her that your friend has agreed to place himself in her hands.
