aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
(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 "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The door had hardly closed before he put it to me what was the matter with Raney.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The door had hardly closed before he put it to me what was the matter with Raney.
confessedverbUS /kənˈfest/
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door had hardly closed before he put it to me what was the matter with Raney.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
the act of departing
From this reading I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
only a very short time before
From this reading The door had hardly closed before he put it to me what was the matter with Raney.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
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 I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
lunchingnounUS /ˈlʌntʃɪŋ/
the act of eating lunch
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading The door had hardly closed before he put it to me what was the matter with Raney.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
meetingsnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋz/
plural of “meeting” — a formally arranged gathering
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
a particular point in time
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
information about recent and important events
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
not any; not one
From this reading I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
O'Rane
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The door had hardly closed before he put it to me what was the matter with Raney.
Raney
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The door had hardly closed before he put it to me what was the matter with Raney.
on the contrary
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
regrettableadjectiveUS /rɪˈɡretəbəl/
deserving regret
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
reminiscentadjectiveUS /ˌreməˈnɪsənt/
serving to bring to mind
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
We'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
at the time that
From this reading "I had one bad moment on Sunday afternoon," he confessed, when I asked for news of O'Rane.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "We'd all been lunching with the old man, and he asked me to stay behind.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I knew what he was going to talk about and I knew it would be no good for me to beat about the bush.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading It was rather reminiscent of certain regrettable meetings in my extreme youth....
