used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading MAYNE ORDERS A BASIN OF GRUEL.
ABCnounUS /ˈeɪbiːsiː/
the elementary stages of any subject (usually plural)
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
speak to
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
(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 "All right," replied Dick: "I can wait another four-and-twenty hours."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "All right," replied Dick: "I can wait another four-and-twenty hours."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
BASINnounUS /ˈbeɪsən/
a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids
From this reading MAYNE ORDERS A BASIN OF GRUEL.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
next to; at the side of
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "All right," replied Dick: "I can wait another four-and-twenty hours."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
someone who is a detective
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
four-and-twenty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "All right," replied Dick: "I can wait another four-and-twenty hours."
GRUELnounUS /ˈɡruːɪl/
a thin porridge (usually oatmeal or cornmeal)
From this reading MAYNE ORDERS A BASIN OF GRUEL.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading "All right," replied Dick: "I can wait another four-and-twenty hours."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
MAYNE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MAYNE ORDERS A BASIN OF GRUEL.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MAYNE ORDERS A BASIN OF GRUEL.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
To move from a closed position.
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading MAYNE ORDERS A BASIN OF GRUEL.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
pickingnounUS /ˈpɪkɪŋ/
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
postponeverbUS /poʊstˈpoʊn/
hold back to a later time
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "All right," replied Dick: "I can wait another four-and-twenty hours."
precisely, exactly
From this reading "All right," replied Dick: "I can wait another four-and-twenty hours."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
a male human offspring
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
create by training and teaching
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "All right," replied Dick: "I can wait another four-and-twenty hours."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading On the following morning Mr. Mayne did open his lips to address a word to his son:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I shall be obliged to you, Dick, if you will postpone your intended visit to town, for this day at least;" for Dick had an "ABC" beside him, and was picking out a fast train while he ate his breakfast.
