used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
automaticallyadverbUS /ˌɔːtəˈmætɪkli/
in a reflex manner
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
burgessnounUS /ˈbɜːrdʒəs/
English writer of satirical novels (1917-1993)
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
candlesnounUS /ˈkændəlz/
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
counternounUS /ˈkaʊntər/
table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
failuresnounUS /ˈfeɪljərz/
plural of “failure” — an act that fails
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
set up or found
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
highest in quality
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
Groff
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading _If_ he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
locateverbUS /ˈloʊkeɪt/
discover the location of; determine the place of; find by searching or examining
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
matchesnounUS /ˈmætʃəz/
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
and nothing more
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
precisely, exactly
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
servingnounUS /ˈsɜːrvɪŋ/
an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
soakedadjectiveUS /soʊkt/
very drunk
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
stubbyadjectiveUS /ˈstʌbi/
short and blunt
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
a special situation
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
tomorrownounUS /təˈmɑːroʊ/
the day after today
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading And then he found the greatest treasure of all, a box of stubby short candles, under the serving counter.
unheardadjectiveUS /ənˈhɜːrd/
not necessarily inaudible but not heard
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading His own, of course, were more than merely wet--the striking surface had soaked right off them.
at the time that
From this reading Evidently power failures were not unheard of around here--something, Groff reminded himself automatically, to keep in mind when he talked to the burgess tomorrow.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading There was something there that would need thinking about, too, but the thing to do right now was locate some matches.
