used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
alleynounUS /ˈæli/
a narrow street with walls on both sides
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “At least I think so.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
a youthful male person
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
BradnounUS /bræd/
a small nail
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
carvedadjectiveUS /kɑːrvd/
made for or formed by carving (“carven” is archaic or literary)
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
compareverbUS /kəmˈper/
examine and note the similarities or differences of
From this reading I wish we could compare them.”
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I wish we could compare them.”
cutsnounUS /kʌts/
plural of “cut” — a share of the profits
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
Dan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
the act of discovering something
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
an established custom
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “At least I think so.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
initialsnounUS /ˌɪˈnɪʃəlz/
plural of “initial” — the first letter of a word (especially a person's name)
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
jack-knife
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “At least I think so.
the literary culture
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
mutilationnounUS /ˌmjuːtəˈleɪʃən/
an injury that causes disfigurement or that deprives you of a limb or other important body part
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
OswaldnounUS /ˈɔːzwɔːld/
United States assassin of President John F. Kennedy (1939-1963)
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
PatverbUS /pæt/
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
Identical; not different.
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
cut with a saw
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “At least I think so.
studyingnounUS /ˈstʌdiɪŋ/
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I wish we could compare them.”
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “At least I think so.
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Discovery of the carved initials on the alley wall convinced both Dan and Brad that the mutilation had been done by Pat Oswald.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “These letters ‘P. O’ are made the same as the ones we saw in the old church,” Brad declared, studying the knife cuts closely.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
at any time that; every time that
From this reading The Bay Shore boy, they were sure, had a careless habit of using his jack-knife whenever he felt like it.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading I wish we could compare them.”
