used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CLIMB IN THE DARK.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading But after all, it's well I didn't take the weapon.
(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 But after all, it's well I didn't take the weapon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But after all, it's well I didn't take the weapon.
an occurrence of something
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
CLIMBverbUS /klaɪm/
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading A CLIMB IN THE DARK.
without stop or interruption
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A CLIMB IN THE DARK.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But after all, it's well I didn't take the weapon.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
exactingadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzæktɪŋ/
having complicated nutritional requirements; especially growing only in special artificial cultures
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
GiraffenounUS /dʒərˈæf/
tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
the act of departing
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A CLIMB IN THE DARK.
it's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But after all, it's well I didn't take the weapon.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
mastiffnounUS /ˈmæstəf/
an old breed of powerful deep-chested smooth-coated dog used chiefly as a watchdog and guard dog
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
a particular point in time
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
not any; not one
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
recitalnounUS /rəˈsaɪtəl/
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
recoververbUS /rɪˈkʌvər/
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
suh
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
carry out
From this reading But after all, it's well I didn't take the weapon.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
THAT'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CLIMB IN THE DARK.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading But after all, it's well I didn't take the weapon.
(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 But after all, it's well I didn't take the weapon.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Things would have gone different from what they did; and I have no fault to find, suh, not a bit."
in or at the place that
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I was about of that opinion myself, suh," the other continued; "and I reckon that if such had been the case, there would have been one less mastiff in the world right now.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "THAT'S where you had ought to have had our gun, Bob," remarked Giraffe, as the other paused for a moment, to recover his breath before going on with his exacting recital.
