used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I am not so fastidious; and you know that quite well.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading Shall I make you some coffee?
confidentiallyadverbUS /ˌkɑːnfəˈdenʃəli/
in a confidential manner
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
take in liquids
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
fastidiousadjectiveUS /fæˈstɪdiəs/
giving careful attention to detail; hard to please; excessively concerned with cleanliness
From this reading I am not so fastidious; and you know that quite well.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
an established custom
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
discontinued temporarily
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I am not so fastidious; and you know that quite well.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
engage in
From this reading Shall I make you some coffee?
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading "Nonsense!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
one of four equal parts
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I am not so fastidious; and you know that quite well.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Shall I make you some coffee?
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I am not so fastidious; and you know that quite well.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Shall I make you some coffee?
carry out
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I am not so fastidious; and you know that quite well.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I am not in the habit of smoking in the presence of----" (I had almost said ladies).
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
up to a particular time
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
(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 I am not so fastidious; and you know that quite well.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading The gentlemen yonder do not take any; they smoke and drink till----" I interrupted her with-- "I want nothing but to talk confidentially with you for a quarter of an hour.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I am not so fastidious; and you know that quite well.
