used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A BILLABONG DAY.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
BILLABONGnoun
a stagnant pool of water in the bed of a stream that flows intermittently
From this reading A BILLABONG DAY.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading A BILLABONG DAY.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
enclose with a fence
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
fence-wire
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
set up or found
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Murty had an Irishman’s tender heart.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
injuredadjectiveUS /ˈɪndʒərd/
harmed
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
Irishman's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Murty had an Irishman’s tender heart.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
the force of workers available
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
used to form the superlative
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
Murty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
O'ToolenounUS /oʊˈtuːl/
British actor (born in Ireland in 1932)
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
outlyingadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtlaɪɪŋ/
relatively far from a center or middle
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
paddocknounUS /ˈpædək/
pen where racehorses are saddled and paraded before a race
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
restoringverbUS /rɪˈstɔːrɪŋ/
-ing form of “restore” — return to its original or usable and functioning condition
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
saggingadjectiveUS /ˈsæɡɪŋ/
hanging down (as from exhaustion or weakness)
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
soft-eyed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
starvingadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrvɪŋ/
suffering from lack of food
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
stockmen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
tautnessnoun
the physical condition of being stretched or strained
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading Murty had an Irishman’s tender heart.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It had caught in a sagging fence-wire, and broken its leg; the man, engaged in restoring the fence to tautness, had found it lying helpless and starving in a hollow.
wallabynounUS /ˈwɑːləbiː/
any of various small or medium-sized kangaroos; often brightly colored
From this reading ONE of the men had found an injured wallaby in an outlying paddock.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He was Murty O’Toole, and so he did not knock the soft-eyed little beast on the head, as most stockmen would have done.
