used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
(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 pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The pen for me whene’er I wish An enemy to rout.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
Bangs's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
DickensnounUS /ˈdɪkənz/
a word used in exclamations of confusion
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading The pen is greater than the sword, Of that there is no doubt.
DumasnounUS /ˈduːməz/
French writer remembered for his swashbuckling historical tales (1802-1870)
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
in or to another place
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
an opposing military force
From this reading The pen for me whene’er I wish An enemy to rout.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
foenounUS /foʊ/
an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading The pen is greater than the sword, Of that there is no doubt.
HarpernounUS /ˈhɑːrpər/
someone who plays the harp
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
inknounUS /ɪŋk/
a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The pen is greater than the sword, Of that there is no doubt.
and nothing more
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
Marryat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
modicumnounUS /ˈmɑːdɪkəm/
a small or moderate or token amount
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
a form of address for a man
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
not any; not one
From this reading The pen is greater than the sword, Of that there is no doubt.
novelnounUS /ˈnɑːvəl/
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
padnounUS /pæd/
a number of sheets of paper fastened together along one edge
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
paraphrasenounUS /ˈperəfreɪz/
rewording for the purpose of clarification
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading The pen is greater than the sword, Of that there is no doubt.
PeriodicalsnounUS /ˌpɪriˈɑːdɪkəlz/
plural of “periodical” — a publication that appears at fixed intervals
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
pintnounUS /paɪnt/
a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 gills or 568.26 cubic centimeters
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
plotnounUS /plɑːt/
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
routverbUS /raʊt/
cause to flee
From this reading The pen for me whene’er I wish An enemy to rout.
express in words
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
ScottnounUS /skɑːt/
award-winning United States film actor (1928-1999)
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
scrawlverbUS /skrɔːl/
write carelessly
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
term of address for a man
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading The pen is greater than the sword, Of that there is no doubt.
tanglenounUS /ˈtæŋɡəl/
a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
ThackeraynounUS /ˈθækəri/
English writer (born in India) (1811-1863)
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The pen is greater than the sword, Of that there is no doubt.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The pen is greater than the sword, Of that there is no doubt.
That's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
in or at that place or location
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
versesnounUS /ˈvɜːrsəz/
plural of “verse” — literature in metrical form
From this reading These verses of Mr. Bangs’s have appeared from time to time in the various Harper Periodicals, and elsewhere.
whene'er
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The pen for me whene’er I wish An enemy to rout.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading The pen for me whene’er I wish An enemy to rout.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A pen, a pad, and say a pint Of ink with which to scrawl, To put a foe to flight is all That’s needed—truly all.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A LITTLE bit of Thackeray, A little bit of Scott, A modicum of Dickens just To tangle up the plot, A paraphrase of Marryat, Another from Dumas— You ask me for a novel, sir, And I say, there you are.
