used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
Ailie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Anne Marie did see the Christmas Angel.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
Claus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading For, of course, no one saw Santa Claus that Christmas Eve.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
From this reading For, of course, no one saw Santa Claus that Christmas Eve.
faintestadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪntəst/
superlative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For, of course, no one saw Santa Claus that Christmas Eve.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
a quick look
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
hoofsnounUS /hʊfs/
plural of “hoof” — the foot of an ungulate mammal
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
plural of “hundred” — ten 10s
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
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 Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
MARIE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
not any; not one
From this reading For, of course, no one saw Santa Claus that Christmas Eve.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
opensnounUS /ˈoʊpənz/
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
patternounUS /ˈpætər/
plausible glib talk (especially useful to a salesperson)
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
PattynounUS /ˈpæti/
small flat mass of chopped food
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
Perkinses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
Polly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
reindeer's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
SantanounUS /ˈsæntə/
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
cut with a saw
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
express in words
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But Anne Marie did see the Christmas Angel.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
stealverbUS /stiːl/
take without the owner's consent
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
tinklenounUS /ˈtɪŋkəl/
a light clear metallic sound as of a small bell
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
except if; if not
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
at the time that
From this reading ANNE MARIE AND THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL What did Santa Claus say when he saw the three Polly Perkinses?
which person or people
From this reading Neither Patty, nor Ailie, nor Anne Marie, nor any one of the hundreds and hundreds of little boys and girls who meant to lie awake that night and steal a glimpse of Santa Claus, or at least hear the patter of his reindeer’s hoofs or catch the faintest tinkle of their bells.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading That is something you and I will never know, unless some day one of the Polly Perkinses opens her lips and tells.
