used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
at or in the front
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
(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 It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
ChicagonounUS /ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading A lamp set Chicago on fire.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
start firing a weapon
From this reading A lamp set Chicago on fire.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading So it happened on the present occasion.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading So it happened on the present occasion.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
set down according to a plan
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading A lamp set Chicago on fire.
either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
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 The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
the force of workers available
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
micenounUS /maɪs/
plural of “mouse” — any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading So it happened on the present occasion.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
many times at short intervals
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading So it happened on the present occasion.
owingadjectiveUS /ˈoʊɪŋ/
owed as a debt
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading So it happened on the present occasion.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A lamp set Chicago on fire.
move stealthily
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
smoothlyadverbUS /ˈsmuːðli/
with no problems or difficulties
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So it happened on the present occasion.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
there's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
twixt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Sometimes things do not run quite as smoothly as we hope for.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was all owing to a certain clock which had taken a notion to get ahead of its fellows and was some ten minutes fast.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong—there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
