used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
attractionnounUS /əˈtrækʃən/
the force by which one object attracts another
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading There were not many saxpences there; and he felt out of his depth in a company which he could not lead by the nose.
compelverbUS /kəmˈpel/
force somebody to do something
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
Crowe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
depthnounUS /depθ/
the extent downward or backward or inward
From this reading There were not many saxpences there; and he felt out of his depth in a company which he could not lead by the nose.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
disturbverbUS /dɪˈstɜːrb/
move deeply
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
drippingnounUS /ˈdrɪpɪŋ/
a liquid (as water) that flows in drops (as from the eaves of house)
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
elegantadjectiveUS /ˈeləɡənt/
refined and tasteful in appearance or behavior or style
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
elsewhereadverbUS /ˈelswer/
in or to another place
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
exiguitynoun
the quality of being meager
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading There were not many saxpences there; and he felt out of his depth in a company which he could not lead by the nose.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
fortnightnounUS /ˈfɔːrtnaɪt/
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
gnawedverbUS /nɔːd/
past form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
jaggedadjectiveUS /ˈdʒæɡəd/
having a sharply uneven surface or outline
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading There were not many saxpences there; and he felt out of his depth in a company which he could not lead by the nose.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading There were not many saxpences there; and he felt out of his depth in a company which he could not lead by the nose.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
mildlyadverbUS /ˈmaɪldli/
to a moderate degree
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
moustachenounUS /ˈmʌstæʃ/
an unshaved growth of hair on the upper lip
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
not any; not one
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading There were not many saxpences there; and he felt out of his depth in a company which he could not lead by the nose.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading There were not many saxpences there; and he felt out of his depth in a company which he could not lead by the nose.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
purse-strings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
ragnounUS /ræɡ/
a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
Sant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
saxpences
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were not many saxpences there; and he felt out of his depth in a company which he could not lead by the nose.
performance of duties or provision of space and equipment helpful to others
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were not many saxpences there; and he felt out of his depth in a company which he could not lead by the nose.
up to a particular time
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jerry Sant gnawed his rag of a moustache for a fortnight or so, till it was dripping and jagged.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were not many saxpences there; and he felt out of his depth in a company which he could not lead by the nose.
at the time that
From this reading That did not disturb him: for he knew that he always could compel her services, when he wanted them, by means of a pull on the purse-strings.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The mildly elegant exiguity of the circle in which she moved, had no attraction for him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He began to have a notion that Mrs. Crowe would like to have him elsewhere.
