used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
(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 He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now the trouble was to square Ted, the mailman.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
distractedadjectiveUS /dɪˈstræktəd/
having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
Eileen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
at any time
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
the act of giving
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
hoveredverbUS /ˈhʌvərd/
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
joggedverbUS /dʒɑːɡd/
inflected form of “jog” — continue talking or writing in a desultory manner
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
for more time
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “My word, your horses look well, Ted!
mailbagsnounUS /ˈmeɪlbæɡz/
plural of “mailbag” — pouch used in the shipment of mail
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
mailmannounUS /ˈmeɪlmæn/
a man who delivers the mail
From this reading And now the trouble was to square Ted, the mailman.
MollienounUS /ˈmɑːli/
popular aquarium fish
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My word, your horses look well, Ted!
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
information about recent and important events
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now the trouble was to square Ted, the mailman.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
packhorsenoun
a workhorse used as a pack animal
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
persistverbUS /pərˈsɪst/
continue to exist
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
express in words
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
make square
From this reading And now the trouble was to square Ted, the mailman.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
TednounUS /ted/
a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes
From this reading And now the trouble was to square Ted, the mailman.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And now the trouble was to square Ted, the mailman.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And now the trouble was to square Ted, the mailman.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading There was no chance of giving him the letter while Mother was there, so they tried to get Ted away out to his horses.
a source of difficulty
From this reading And now the trouble was to square Ted, the mailman.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And now the trouble was to square Ted, the mailman.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “My word, your horses look well, Ted!
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He jogged up about four o’clock the next day, with his packhorse and mailbags, and the girls hovered round while he had a cup of tea and told all the news.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading “My word, your horses look well, Ted!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Strange to say, Ted seemed to stay longer than ever that day, and Mother would persist in talking to him and asking him questions, and Mollie and Eileen were nearly distracted.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “My word, your horses look well, Ted!
