used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
how long something has existed
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
calculationnounUS /ˌkælkjəˈleɪʃən/
the procedure of calculating; determining something by mathematical or logical methods
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
CannonnounUS /ˈkænən/
a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
CrimsonadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪmzən/
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
divisible by two
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
gangnounUS /ɡæŋ/
an association of criminals
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
inspectornounUS /ˌɪnˈspektər/
a high ranking police officer
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Mr. Parr laughed.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Parr laughed.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
ParrnounUS /pɑːr/
Queen of England as the 6th wife of Henry VIII (1512-1548)
From this reading Mr. Parr laughed.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
rapidadjectiveUS /ˈræpəd/
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
Identical; not different.
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
she'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
express a supposition
From this reading “She must be a wonderful old lady,” he said, “and I suppose she’d even be interested in the Crimson Circle.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
tidyadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪdi/
marked by order and cleanliness in appearance or habits
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
to-night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
which person or people
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading The inspector must have been nearly fifty, and he made a rapid calculation as to the age of this wonderful grandmother who took an interest in crime, and kept the house tidy.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “If mother was on the track of that gang with the same authority as I have, they would be high and dry in Cannon Street police station to-night.
