used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
ajaradjectiveUS /əˈdʒɑːr/
slightly open
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
(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 The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
BlakesnounUS /bleɪks/
plural of “blake” — visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading The few weeks to Christmas passed uneventfully.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The few weeks to Christmas passed uneventfully.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
groovenounUS /ɡruːv/
a long narrow furrow cut either by a natural process (such as erosion) or by a tool (as e.g. a groove in a phonograph record)
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
LawrencenounUS /ˈlɔːrəns/
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
hear with intention
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
on one occasion
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
outwittingverbUS /ˈaʊtwɪtɪŋ/
inflected form of “outwit” — beat through cleverness and wit
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
PaddynounUS /ˈpædi/
(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Irish descent
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The few weeks to Christmas passed uneventfully.
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
resortedverbUS /rɪˈzɔːrtɪd/
past form of “resort” — have recourse to
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
be seated
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
move stealthily
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
smoke-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
statelyadjectiveUS /ˈsteɪtli/
impressive in appearance
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
stroveverbUS /stroʊv/
inflected form of “strive” — attempt by employing effort
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
subterfugenounUS /ˈsʌbtərfjuːdʒ/
something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The few weeks to Christmas passed uneventfully.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The Blakes came to London and Lawrence joined them, and they all seemed to slip back into their old groove for the time being.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The few weeks to Christmas passed uneventfully.
uneventfullyadverb
in an uneventful manner
From this reading The few weeks to Christmas passed uneventfully.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading The few weeks to Christmas passed uneventfully.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Paddy came and went much the same as before, and Lawrence strove to possess his soul in patience.
at the time that
From this reading Once more he resorted to subterfuge to find out when she was likely to be coming, and in general she succeeded in outwitting him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If she was half expected he would sit in his smoke-room with the door ajar, and listen to hear if the stately James opened the door to a familiar voice.
