used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
bragverbUS /bræɡ/
show off
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
chewsnounUS /tʃuːz/
plural of “chew” — a wad of something chewable as tobacco
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading He takes liberties with his fellow-creatures, and with the English grammar.
extraordinarilyadverbUS /ekˌstrɔːrdəˈnerəli/
extremely
From this reading The ordinary American himself is extraordinarily ordinary.
fellow-creatures
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He takes liberties with his fellow-creatures, and with the English grammar.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
good-humouredadjective
disposed to please
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
grammarnounUS /ˈɡræmər/
the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)
From this reading He takes liberties with his fellow-creatures, and with the English grammar.
plural of “habit” — an established custom
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
hawksnounUS /hɔːks/
plural of “hawk” — diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The ordinary American himself is extraordinarily ordinary.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
inviteverbUS /ˌɪnˈvaɪt/
increase the likelihood of
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
libertiesnounUS /ˈlɪbərtiːz/
plural of “liberty” — immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence
From this reading He takes liberties with his fellow-creatures, and with the English grammar.
livelinessnounUS /ˈlaɪvlinəs/
general activity and motion
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
mother-tongue
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He murders your ears, and the mother-tongue of Shakespeare.
MurdersnounUS /ˈmɜːrdərz/
plural of “murder” — unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He murders your ears, and the mother-tongue of Shakespeare.
a judge of a probate court
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
with speed
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
ShakespearenounUS /ˈʃeɪkspiːr/
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading He murders your ears, and the mother-tongue of Shakespeare.
spitsnounUS /spɪts/
plural of “spit” — a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading He takes liberties with his fellow-creatures, and with the English grammar.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He chews, hawks, and spits; but he has a certain good-humoured brag and liveliness about him which invite further acquaintance.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He takes liberties with his fellow-creatures, and with the English grammar.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _The Ordinary American.--His Voice, his Habits, his Conversation.--He Murders his Language and your Ears.--Do not judge him too quickly._ Nothing is ordinary in America.
