used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
aspennounUS /ˈæspən/
any of several trees of the genus Populus having leaves on flattened stalks so that they flutter in the lightest wind
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
awakenverbUS /əˈweɪkən/
cause to become awake or conscious
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
bobbingverbUS /ˈbɑːbɪŋ/
inflected form of “bob” — move up and down repeatedly
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
crazyadjectiveUS /ˈkreɪzi/
affected with madness or insanity
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
disputeverbUS /dɪsˈpjuːt/
take exception to
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
exchangedadjectiveUS /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒd/
changed for (replaced by) something different
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
gossipingnounUS /ˈɡɑːsəpɪŋ/
a conversation that spreads personal information about other people
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
HamnounUS /hæm/
meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
identitynounUS /aɪˈdentɪtiː/
the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
jabberers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
jaysnounUS /dʒeɪz/
plural of “jay” — United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
and nothing more
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
limbnounUS /lɪm/
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
matesnounUS /meɪts/
a pair of people who live together
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
neighboringadjectiveUS /ˈneɪbərɪŋ/
having a common boundary or edge; abutting; touching
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
observationsnounUS /ˌɑːbzərˈveɪʃənz/
plural of “observation” — the act of making and recording a measurement
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
perchedverbUS /pɜːrtʃt/
past form of “perch” — sit, as on a branch
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
pinenounUS /paɪn/
a coniferous tree
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
saucyadjectiveUS /ˈsɔːsi/
characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality
From this reading A pair of saucy jays had been gossiping about the little party for nearly an hour.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At first they just exchanged ideas, making their observations from a reasonable distance.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
topmostadjective
at or nearest to the top
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
trousersnounUS /ˈtraʊzərz/
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
twigsnounUS /twɪɡz/
plural of “twig” — a small branch or division of a branch (especially a terminal division); usually applied to branches of the current or preceding year
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading One perched on the topmost limb of a dead pine, the other bobbing up and down on the slender twigs of a neighboring aspen.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Second Day Out Ham was the first to awaken in the morning.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Those crazy jabberers would dispute the identity of their own mates," exclaimed Ham, as he pulled on his trousers and got into his high boots.
