Chapter V · Chapter 5

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

(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 Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

plural of “blunder” — an embarrassing mistake

From this reading His blunders and disasters are chronicled in penny chap-books and in nursery rhymes, of infinite variety.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

widely known and esteemed

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His blunders and disasters are chronicled in penny chap-books and in nursery rhymes, of infinite variety.

past form of “chronicle” — record in chronological order; make a historical record

From this reading His blunders and disasters are chronicled in penny chap-books and in nursery rhymes, of infinite variety.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

command with authority

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

plural of “disaster” — a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune

From this reading His blunders and disasters are chronicled in penny chap-books and in nursery rhymes, of infinite variety.

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

comical in an odd or whimsical manner

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

a division of the United Kingdom

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

a competitor thought likely to win

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

a person who lacks good judgment

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

an island republic on the island of Iceland; became independent of Denmark in 1944

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

a republic in the Asian subcontinent in southern Asia; second most populous country in the world; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

having no limits or boundaries in time or space or extent or magnitude

From this reading His blunders and disasters are chronicled in penny chap-books and in nursery rhymes, of infinite variety.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

a string of more than 3,000 islands to the east of Asia extending 1,300 miles between the Sea of Japan and the western Pacific Ocean

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

plural of “jest” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

immediately past

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

plural of “mishap” — an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

a confused multitude of things

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

a child's room for a baby

From this reading His blunders and disasters are chronicled in penny chap-books and in nursery rhymes, of infinite variety.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound

From this reading His blunders and disasters are chronicled in penny chap-books and in nursery rhymes, of infinite variety.

the human beings of a particular nation or community or ethnic group

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

plural of “prototype” — a standard or typical example

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

plural of “recall” — a request by the manufacturer of a defective product to return the product (as for replacement or repair)

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

-ing form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

available source of wealth; a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds)

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

plural of “rhyme” — correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds)

From this reading His blunders and disasters are chronicled in penny chap-books and in nursery rhymes, of infinite variety.

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

ludicrous, foolish

From this reading THE SILLY SON.

one of the twelve Apostles (first century)

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

possessive form of “simon” — one of the twelve Apostles (first century)

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

a male human offspring

From this reading THE SILLY SON.

not in physical motion

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE SILLY SON.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

make an effort or attempt

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

a collection containing a variety of sorts of things

From this reading His blunders and disasters are chronicled in penny chap-books and in nursery rhymes, of infinite variety.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

a very large person; impressive in size or qualities

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Who has not heard how Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale, But all the water he had got Was in his mother's pail? an adventure which recalls another nursery rhyme regarding Simon's still more celebrated prototypes:

which person or people

From this reading Among the favourite jests of all peoples, from Iceland to Japan, from India to England, are the droll adventures and mishaps of the silly son, who contrives to muddle everything he is set to do.

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading In vain does his poor mother try to direct him in "the way he should go": she gets him a wife, as a last resource; but a fool he is still, and a fool he will always be.