used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For he wasn’t a dumb-bell.
(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 BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Mrs. Doane was buzzing around like a bumblebee.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
BEHINDprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
bumblebeenounUS /ˈbʌmbəlbiː/
robust hairy social bee of temperate regions
From this reading Mrs. Doane was buzzing around like a bumblebee.
buzzingadjectiveUS /ˈbʌzɪŋ/
noisy like the sound of a bee
From this reading Mrs. Doane was buzzing around like a bumblebee.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Yet, to our good luck, he never caught on.
clevernessnounUS /ˈklev.ər.nəs/
The quality of being intelligent, quick to understand, and resourceful in danger.
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
Doane
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Doane was buzzing around like a bumblebee.
dumb-bell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For he wasn’t a dumb-bell.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
at any time
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
fattyadjectiveUS /ˈfæti/
containing or composed of fat
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
fooledverbUS /fuːld/
past form of “fool” — make a fool or dupe of
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For he wasn’t a dumb-bell.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Yet, to our good luck, he never caught on.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For he wasn’t a dumb-bell.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Mrs. Doane was buzzing around like a bumblebee.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading Yet, to our good luck, he never caught on.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Doane was buzzing around like a bumblebee.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Yet, to our good luck, he never caught on.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Yet, to our good luck, he never caught on.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Yet, to our good luck, he never caught on.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
Poppy'snounUS /ˈpɑːpiz/
possessive form of “poppy” — annual or biennial or perennial herbs having showy flowers
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
cut with a saw
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
wasn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For he wasn’t a dumb-bell.
(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 BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
in the company of; together with
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading BEHIND THE MOON Well, with all of Poppy’s cleverness, the wonder to me is, as I look back, that fatty was fooled.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet, to our good luck, he never caught on.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And if ever you saw a disappointed face it was his, which showed plainly enough that he knew how the will read.
