used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
accidentaladjectiveUS /ˌæksəˈdentəl/
happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally
From this reading Its betrayal was purely accidental.
alasexclamationUS /əˈlæs/
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
(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 A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
third-person singular of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
betrayalnounUS /bɪˈtreɪ.əl/
The action of betraying one's country, a group, or a person; breach of trust.
From this reading Its betrayal was purely accidental.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
borrowverbUS /ˈbɑːroʊ/
get temporarily
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
an occurrence of something
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
chancedverbUS /tʃænst/
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
deliberateadjectiveUS /dɪˈlɪbərət/
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading And yet no deliberate prattling divulged the story.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
divulgedverbUS /dɪˈvʌldʒd/
past form of “divulge” — make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret
From this reading And yet no deliberate prattling divulged the story.
donorsnounUS /ˈdoʊnərz/
plural of “donor” — person who makes a gift of property
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
HAL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
holidaynounUS /ˈhɑːlədeɪ/
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
identitynounUS /aɪˈdentɪtiː/
the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its betrayal was purely accidental.
conformity or harmony
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
McGregor's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
a form of address for a man
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
of an obscure nature
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
not any; not one
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
O'Dowd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
O'Dowd's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
openernounUS /ˈoʊpənər/
the first event in a series
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
prattlingverbUS /ˈprætlɪŋ/
-ing form of “prattle” — speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
From this reading And yet no deliberate prattling divulged the story.
established beyond doubt
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
purelyadverbUS /ˈpjʊrli/
restricted to something
From this reading Its betrayal was purely accidental.
REPEATSnounUS /rɪˈpiːts/
plural of “repeat” — an event that repeats
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
sharedadjectiveUS /ʃerd/
have in common; held or experienced in common
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading And yet no deliberate prattling divulged the story.
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
at the time that
From this reading A secret when shared by too many becomes no secret at all and so, alas, it proved in this case.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading On the morning following the holiday, which, by the way, chanced to be Sunday, Mrs. O'Dowd came up to borrow the McGregor's can opener.
Whoever
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
XnounUS /eks/
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading HAL REPEATS HIS VISIT Whoever the mysterious Mr. X was he succeeded in keeping his identity a secret much better than did the donors of the O'Dowd's Christmas dinner.
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet no deliberate prattling divulged the story.
