used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
a-grinning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading HORATIO leaned back against the tree and played lazily.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading HORATIO leaned back against the tree and played lazily.
have
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
BlossomverbUS /ˈblɑːsəm/
produce or yield flowers
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
bobbed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
Bosephus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
boughnounUS /baʊ/
any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
fiddlenounUS /ˈfɪdəl/
bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
GrinningnounUS /ˈɡrɪnɪŋ/
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
HORATIO
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
idlyadverbUS /ˈaɪdli/
in an idle manner
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
jaynounUS /dʒeɪ/
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
and nothing more
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
lazilyadverbUS /ˈlæzəli/
in a slow and lazy manner
From this reading HORATIO leaned back against the tree and played lazily.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading HORATIO leaned back against the tree and played lazily.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
limbnounUS /lɪm/
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
limberadjectiveUS /ˈlɪmbər/
(used of e.g. personality traits) readily adaptable
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
and nothing more
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
participate in games or sport
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
(of games) engaged in
From this reading HORATIO leaned back against the tree and played lazily.
SawingverbUS /ˈsɔːɪŋ/
-ing form of “saw” — cut with a saw
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
sawsnounUS /sɔːz/
plural of “saw” — a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
sitsverbUS /sɪts/
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HORATIO AND THE DOGS "Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb-- Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him;
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading HORATIO leaned back against the tree and played lazily.
tunenounUS /tuːn/
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay-- Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can play."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading A blue jay just over their heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, waiting for them to go.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Bosephus lay stretched full length on the leaves, following idly with any words that happened to fit the strain.
