used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
Abe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
accountsnounUS /əˈkaʊnts/
plural of “account” — a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
(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 "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "Don't you believe in sea-serpents, Jim?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading No, sir; give me something I can see and feel."
CordingverbUS /ˈkɔːrdɪŋ/
-ing form of “cord” — stack in cords
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
crittur
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
Don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't you believe in sea-serpents, Jim?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
drilyadverb
in a dry laconic manner
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading No, sir; give me something I can see and feel."
set up or found
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading No, sir; give me something I can see and feel."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Don't you believe in sea-serpents, Jim?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
Jim
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't you believe in sea-serpents, Jim?"
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "What, me!
in motion
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
not any; not one
From this reading No, sir; give me something I can see and feel."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
onct
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
sea-bamboo
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
sea-serpent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
sea-serpents
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't you believe in sea-serpents, Jim?"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading No, sir; give me something I can see and feel."
term of address for a man
From this reading No, sir; give me something I can see and feel."
smashverbUS /smæʃ/
hit hard
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading No, sir; give me something I can see and feel."
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
taperingadjectiveUS /ˈteɪpərɪŋ/
becoming gradually narrower
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
a special situation
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
hard to endure
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
(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 Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What, me!
at the time that
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Well onct I spent a whole hour trying to smash a sea-serpent with rocks, and at the end of that time I found the thing were sea-bamboo--round and smooth, and tapering away to a point like a moving tail.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "'Cording to all accounts," said Abe, drily, "if you did feel the crittur, it would be when passing down his throat."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Don't you believe in sea-serpents, Jim?"
