used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
adagenounUS /ˈædədʒ/
a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
affectationnounUS /ˌæfekˈteɪʃən/
a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
ARTauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
arteriesnounUS /ˈɑːrtəriz/
plural of “artery” — a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
calvesnounUS /kævz/
plural of “calf” — young of domestic cattle
From this reading He is as old as his calves--his garteries....
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
characteristicnounUS /ˌkerəktərˈɪstɪk/
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
commentnounUS /ˈkɑːment/
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
CreatornounUS /kriˈeɪtər/
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
divisible by two
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
garteries
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He is as old as his calves--his garteries....
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
not any; not one
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
sincereadjectiveUS /sɪnˈsɪr/
open and genuine; not deceitful
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
under normal conditions
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
versesnounUS /ˈvɜːrsəz/
plural of “verse” — literature in metrical form
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading THE ART OF WALKING Away with the stupid adage about a man being as old as his arteries!
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We made a certain attempt to be sincere in the above verses; but even at that no doubt a lot of affectation crept in.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
at the time that
From this reading People, when they pray, usually pray not for what they really want--and intend to have if they can get it--but for what they think the Creator wants them to want.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And it is thoroughly characteristic of Don Marquis that he follows his prayer with this comment:
