used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
abilitynounUS /əˈbɪlətiː/
the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "First and foremost," he said, "You had best know who I am."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
armpitsnounUS /ˈɑːrmpɪts/
plural of “armpit” — the hollow under the arm where it is joined to the shoulder
From this reading He leaned back and hooked his thumbs under his armpits in a prideful gesture.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He leaned back and hooked his thumbs under his armpits in a prideful gesture.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
Becky
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "First and foremost," he said, "You had best know who I am."
a youthful male person
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
browsnounUS /braʊz/
plural of “brow” — the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
Cilley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
every person
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "First and foremost," he said, "You had best know who I am."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
foremostadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrmoʊst/
ranking above all others
From this reading "First and foremost," he said, "You had best know who I am."
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading He leaned back and hooked his thumbs under his armpits in a prideful gesture.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "First and foremost," he said, "You had best know who I am."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "First and foremost," he said, "You had best know who I am."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
hookedadjectiveUS /hʊkt/
curved down like an eagle's beak
From this reading He leaned back and hooked his thumbs under his armpits in a prideful gesture.
humorousadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmərəs/
full of or characterized by humor
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He leaned back and hooked his thumbs under his armpits in a prideful gesture.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
judgingnounUS /ˈdʒʌdʒɪŋ/
the cognitive process of reaching a decision or drawing conclusions
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "First and foremost," he said, "You had best know who I am."
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading He leaned back and hooked his thumbs under his armpits in a prideful gesture.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
pridefuladjective
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
From this reading He leaned back and hooked his thumbs under his armpits in a prideful gesture.
plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "First and foremost," he said, "You had best know who I am."
sandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
for a short time
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
shrewdnessnounUS /ˈʃruːdnəs/
intelligence manifested by being astute (as in business dealings)
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
express in words
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
that's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
thumbsnounUS /θʌmz/
plural of “thumb” — the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading He leaned back and hooked his thumbs under his armpits in a prideful gesture.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
(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 "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His eyes, humorous as they were, took on a shrewdness under their sandy brows as if judging the character of the boy before him and his ability to keep a secret.
which person or people
From this reading "First and foremost," he said, "You had best know who I am."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And Mistress Becky would not care to be reminded of it, mark you, for reasons I shall shortly tell."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well now," began Cilley, "that's a tale that not everyone knows, don't you see.
