used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Now you see, Davie, _what_ a help you be to me.”
(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 “No, never in all this world,” the storekeeper smote his hands together smartly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
Atkins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Now you see, Davie, _what_ a help you be to me.”
beansnounUS /biːnz/
plural of “bean” — any of various edible seeds of plants of the family Leguminosae used for food
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
cansnounUS /kænz/
plural of “can” — airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc.
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading “I’m so glad I’m a help to you, Mr. Atkins,” cried Davie, the color all over his face, and his heart going like a trip-hammer.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
couldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “I’m so glad I’m a help to you, Mr. Atkins,” cried Davie, the color all over his face, and his heart going like a trip-hammer.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
Davie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now you see, Davie, _what_ a help you be to me.”
dust-cloth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
dustingverbUS /ˈdʌstɪŋ/
-ing form of “dust” — remove the dust from
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
ef
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading “I’m so glad I’m a help to you, Mr. Atkins,” cried Davie, the color all over his face, and his heart going like a trip-hammer.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “I’m so glad I’m a help to you, Mr. Atkins,” cried Davie, the color all over his face, and his heart going like a trip-hammer.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
the act of departing
From this reading “I’m so glad I’m a help to you, Mr. Atkins,” cried Davie, the color all over his face, and his heart going like a trip-hammer.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading “No, never in all this world,” the storekeeper smote his hands together smartly.
happilyadverbUS /ˈhæpəli/
in a joyous manner
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading “I’m so glad I’m a help to you, Mr. Atkins,” cried Davie, the color all over his face, and his heart going like a trip-hammer.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “Now you see, Davie, _what_ a help you be to me.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
HOPverbUS /hɑːp/
jump lightly
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
I'm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m so glad I’m a help to you, Mr. Atkins,” cried Davie, the color all over his face, and his heart going like a trip-hammer.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “I’m so glad I’m a help to you, Mr. Atkins,” cried Davie, the color all over his face, and his heart going like a trip-hammer.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Now you see, Davie, _what_ a help you be to me.”
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “No, never in all this world,” the storekeeper smote his hands together smartly.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, never in all this world,” the storekeeper smote his hands together smartly.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
peasnounUS /piːz/
plural of “pea” — seed of a pea plant used for food
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
piledverbUS /paɪld/
past form of “pile” — arrange in stacks
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Now you see, Davie, _what_ a help you be to me.”
shelvesnounUS /ʃelvz/
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
smartlyadverbUS /ˈsmɑːrtli/
in a clever manner
From this reading “No, never in all this world,” the storekeeper smote his hands together smartly.
smote
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, never in all this world,” the storekeeper smote his hands together smartly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “I’m so glad I’m a help to you, Mr. Atkins,” cried Davie, the color all over his face, and his heart going like a trip-hammer.
storekeepernounUS /ˈstɔːrkiːpər/
a merchant who owns or manages a shop
From this reading “No, never in all this world,” the storekeeper smote his hands together smartly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
THUMBnounUS /θʌm/
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Now you see, Davie, _what_ a help you be to me.”
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading “No, never in all this world,” the storekeeper smote his hands together smartly.
trip-hammer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m so glad I’m a help to you, Mr. Atkins,” cried Davie, the color all over his face, and his heart going like a trip-hammer.
warn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Now you see, Davie, _what_ a help you be to me.”
whirledverbUS /wɜːrld/
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “Couldn’t you, Mr. Atkins?” said David happily, over in the corner dusting the cans of peas and beans piled on the shelves, and he whirled around, the dust-cloth in his hand.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “No, never in all this world,” the storekeeper smote his hands together smartly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading HOP O’ MY THUMB “Now, David, ef you warn’t here,” said Mr. Atkins, “I couldn’t go off this morning.”
