used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
(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 They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
bossnounUS /bɑːs/
a person who exercises control over workers
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
cakenounUS /keɪk/
a block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
campaignnounUS /kæmˈpeɪn/
a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
put or send forth
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
casualadjectiveUS /ˈkæʒəwəl/
marked by blithe unconcern
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
chiefsnounUS /tʃiːfs/
plural of “chief” — a person who is in charge
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
a body serving in an administrative capacity
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
decidedlyadverbUS /ˌdɪˈsaɪdədli/
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
drummingnounUS /ˈdrʌmɪŋ/
the act of playing drums
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
only a very short time before
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
to a considerable degree
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
impressiveadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpresɪv/
making a strong or vivid impression
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
issuesnounUS /ˈɪʃuːz/
plural of “issue” — an important question that is in dispute and must be settled
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
lazilyadverbUS /ˈlæzəli/
in a slow and lazy manner
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
managernounUS /ˈmænədʒər/
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
operationnounUS /ˌɑːpərˈeɪʃən/
the state of being in effect or being operative
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
outlinedadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtlaɪnd/
showing clearly the outline or profile or boundary
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
the event of something being raised upward
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
ScottienounUS /ˈskɑːti/
old Scottish breed of small long-haired usually black terrier with erect tail and ears
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
sulkyadjective
sullen or moody
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
tattoonounUS /ˌtæˈtuː/
a drumbeat or bugle call that signals the military to return to their quarters
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading THE chiefs had met in council, and cast their plans, and outlined their campaign.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The boss was there, sitting in his sulky and leaning out, resting heavily on one arm.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
tobacconounUS /təˈbækoʊ/
leaves of the tobacco plant dried and prepared for smoking or ingestion
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The council itself was not an impressive affair, although large issues hung on it; in fact, it had a decidedly casual appearance.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They all looked as if they had met by chance, and were lazily passing the time of day.
whittledverbUS /ˈwɪtəld/
past form of “whittle” — cut small bits or pare shavings from
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The manager stood with his foot on the step, and his fingers drumming a tattoo on his knee, and Scottie slowly and carefully whittled tobacco from a flat cake, and hardly raising his eyes from the operation.
