used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A passing indisposition--no excuse could be more reasonable.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
react verbally
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A passing indisposition--no excuse could be more reasonable.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I shall send round, the first thing in the morning, to inquire," she insisted.
CommandantnounUS /ˌkɑːmənˈdɑːnt/
an officer in command of a military unit
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
contrivedadjectiveUS /kənˈtraɪvd/
showing effects of planning or manipulation
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading A passing indisposition--no excuse could be more reasonable.
dearly loved
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
the act of departing
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
dismaynounUS /dɪˈsmeɪ/
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
at any time
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
accept an excuse for
From this reading A passing indisposition--no excuse could be more reasonable.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "But I shall send round, the first thing in the morning, to inquire," she insisted.
FOGnounUS /fɑːɡ/
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
forebodings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
Fossell's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
gatheringsnounUS /ˈɡæðərɪŋz/
plural of “gathering” — a group of persons together in one place
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
depressingly dark
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I shall send round, the first thing in the morning, to inquire," she insisted.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
indispositionnoun
a slight illness
From this reading A passing indisposition--no excuse could be more reasonable.
inquireverbUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪr/
address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "But I shall send round, the first thing in the morning, to inquire," she insisted.
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading "But I shall send round, the first thing in the morning, to inquire," she insisted.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading A passing indisposition--no excuse could be more reasonable.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "But I shall send round, the first thing in the morning, to inquire," she insisted.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
not any; not one
From this reading A passing indisposition--no excuse could be more reasonable.
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading A passing indisposition--no excuse could be more reasonable.
phrasenounUS /freɪz/
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
PolitelyadverbUS /pəˈlaɪtli/
in a polite manner
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading A passing indisposition--no excuse could be more reasonable.
recollectionnounUS /ˌrekəˈlekʃən/
the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
repeatingnounUS /rɪˈpiːtɪŋ/
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading "But I shall send round, the first thing in the morning, to inquire," she insisted.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading "But I shall send round, the first thing in the morning, to inquire," she insisted.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "But I shall send round, the first thing in the morning, to inquire," she insisted.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
not in physical motion
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
a special situation
From this reading "But I shall send round, the first thing in the morning, to inquire," she insisted.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
whist-party
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GUN IN THE GREAT FOG Politely though he had contrived his departure, the Commandant left Mrs. Fossell's whist-party to something like dismay.
wife'snounUS /waɪfs/
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "A passing indisposition," was Mr. Fossell's phrase, and he kept repeating it--with an occasional "Nonsense, my dear"--in answer to his wife's gloomy forebodings.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Still, nothing of the kind had ever interrupted these gatherings within Mrs. Fossell's recollection, and she could not help taking a serious view of it.
