used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
move forward, also in the metaphorical sense
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE elder Texan turned to the boys and said:
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
BakernounUS /ˈbeɪkər/
someone who bakes commercially
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading THE elder Texan turned to the boys and said:
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was a singular request, but Nick and Herbert nodded their heads.
cowboysnounUS /ˈkaʊbɔɪz/
plural of “cowboy” — a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
discussverbUS /dɪˈskʌs/
to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading THE elder Texan turned to the boys and said:
accept an excuse for
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
gallopverbUS /ˈɡæləp/
ride at a galloping pace
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading It was a singular request, but Nick and Herbert nodded their heads.
HerbertnounUS /ˈhɜːrbərt/
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading It was a singular request, but Nick and Herbert nodded their heads.
ten 10s
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a singular request, but Nick and Herbert nodded their heads.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
NickverbUS /nɪk/
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading It was a singular request, but Nick and Herbert nodded their heads.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading It was a singular request, but Nick and Herbert nodded their heads.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
poniesnounUS /ˈpoʊniz/
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
PROCEEDINGSnounUS /proʊˈsiːdɪŋz/
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading STRANGE PROCEEDINGS.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
express the need or desire for
From this reading It was a singular request, but Nick and Herbert nodded their heads.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE elder Texan turned to the boys and said:
unusual or striking
From this reading It was a singular request, but Nick and Herbert nodded their heads.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading STRANGE PROCEEDINGS.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
TexannounUS /ˈteksən/
a native or resident of Texas
From this reading THE elder Texan turned to the boys and said:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE elder Texan turned to the boys and said:
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It was a singular request, but Nick and Herbert nodded their heads.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE elder Texan turned to the boys and said:
moved around an axis or center
From this reading THE elder Texan turned to the boys and said:
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a singular request, but Nick and Herbert nodded their heads.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Striking their ponies into a quick gallop, the cowboys rode a hundred yards or so in advance, before bringing their animals down to a walk.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I must ask you to excuse Baker and me for a few minutes, while we discuss a little private business.”
