used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
completely unclothed
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading In his heart he believed that Smith had money dangling somewhere in close proximity to his lank person.
lacking funds
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
Casey's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading In his heart he believed that Smith had money dangling somewhere in close proximity to his lank person.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
danglingnounUS /ˈdæŋɡəlɪŋ/
the act of suspending something (hanging it from above so it moves freely)
From this reading In his heart he believed that Smith had money dangling somewhere in close proximity to his lank person.
digverbUS /dɪɡ/
turn up, loosen, or remove earth
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading In his heart he believed that Smith had money dangling somewhere in close proximity to his lank person.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
hungry-looking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In his heart he believed that Smith had money dangling somewhere in close proximity to his lank person.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
jawverbUS /dʒɔː/
talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
lankadjectiveUS /læŋk/
long and thin and often limp
From this reading In his heart he believed that Smith had money dangling somewhere in close proximity to his lank person.
limpingnounUS /ˈlɪmpɪŋ/
disability of walking due to crippling of the legs or feet
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
loudestadjectiveUS /ˈlaʊdəst/
superlative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
no-credit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
optimistnounUS /ˈɑːptəmɪst/
a person disposed to take a favorable view of things
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
outfitnounUS /ˈaʊtfɪt/
any cohesive unit such as a military company
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
by chance
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
a human being
From this reading In his heart he believed that Smith had money dangling somewhere in close proximity to his lank person.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
protestedverbUS /prəˈtestɪd/
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
proximitynounUS /prɑːkˈsɪməti/
the property of being close together
From this reading In his heart he believed that Smith had money dangling somewhere in close proximity to his lank person.
rigidlyadverbUS /ˈrɪdʒɪdli/
in a rigid manner
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
rimsnounUS /rɪmz/
plural of “rim” — the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
cut with a saw
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
in or at or to some place
From this reading In his heart he believed that Smith had money dangling somewhere in close proximity to his lank person.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
tiresnounUS /ˈtaɪərz/
plural of “tire” — hoop that covers a wheel
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading At two o'clock the next afternoon, the Smith outfit came back, limping along on three bare rims.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
at the time that
From this reading Casey's jaw dropped a little when he saw them coming, but nature had made him an optimist.
which person or people
From this reading It had been Casey's experience that a man who protested the loudest that he was broke would, if held rigidly to the no-credit rule, find the money to pay for what he must have.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Now, perhaps, that hungry-looking Smith would dig into his pocket and find the price of new tires.
