used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
alertadjectiveUS /əˈlɜːrt/
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
candle-end
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Isn't he a candle-end himself ... that lodger of yours?"
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
catchingnounUS /ˈkætʃɪŋ/
(baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
clevernessnounUS /ˈklev.ər.nəs/
The quality of being intelligent, quick to understand, and resourceful in danger.
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
damnedadjectiveUS /dæmd/
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
designatedverbUS /ˈdezɪɡneɪtɪd/
past form of “designate” — assign a name or title to
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
dialectnounUS /ˈdaɪəlekt/
the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
drillverbUS /drɪl/
make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
eighteenadjectiveUS /eɪˈtiːn/
being one more than seventeen
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
destroyed or killed
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
hogverbUS /hɑːɡ/
take greedily; take more than one's share
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
insultingadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈsʌltɪŋ/
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
Isn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Isn't he a candle-end himself ... that lodger of yours?"
Kostromá
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
lodgernoun
a tenant in someone's house
From this reading "Isn't he a candle-end himself ... that lodger of yours?"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
merchantnounUS /ˈmɜːr.tʃənt/
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
mixturenounUS /ˈmɪkstʃər/
(chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
Petúnnikoff's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
phrasenounUS /freɪz/
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
precedingadjectiveUS /priˈsiːdɪŋ/
existing or coming before
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
purchasenounUS /ˈpɜːrtʃəs/
the acquisition of something for payment
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
past form of “recall” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
sworeverbUS /swɔːr/
inflected form of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Isn't he a candle-end himself ... that lodger of yours?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading The merchant had come with a member of the town court to purchase the house, and, catching sight of the captain, he had asked of his guide, in alert Kostromá dialect:
viedverbUS /vaɪd/
past form of “vie” — compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others
From this reading And from that day forth--now eighteen months gone by--they had vied with one another in their cleverness at insulting man.
vituperationnoun
abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will
From this reading And on the preceding evening, a little "drill in vituperation," as the captain designated his conversation with the merchant, had taken place between them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "A damned mixture of fox and hog!"--swore the captain to himself, and recalled to mind Petúnnikoff's first phrase with regard to himself.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading "Isn't he a candle-end himself ... that lodger of yours?"
