used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
aboveboardadjectiveUS /əˈbʌvbɔːrd/
without concealment or deception; honest
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
amountedverbUS /əˈmaʊntɪd/
past form of “amount” — be tantamount or equivalent to
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was just as well.
cause to be bored
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
a game played with playing cards
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
concealmentnounUS /kənˈsiːlmənt/
the condition of being concealed or hidden
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Fairchild could have said nothing that would have helped matters.
damagedadjectiveUS /ˈdæmədʒd/
harmed or injured or spoiled
From this reading He could have done nothing that would have damaged them.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading He could have done nothing that would have damaged them.
enmitiesnounUS /ˈenmətiz/
plural of “enmity” — a state of deep-seated ill-will
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
at any time
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
apart from; not including
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
Fairchild
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fairchild could have said nothing that would have helped matters.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
the act of departing
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Fairchild could have said nothing that would have helped matters.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He could have done nothing that would have damaged them.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Fairchild could have said nothing that would have helped matters.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was just as well.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
and nothing more
From this reading It was just as well.
markingsnounUS /ˈmɑːrkɪŋz/
plural of “marking” — a distinguishing symbol
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Fairchild could have said nothing that would have helped matters.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Fairchild could have said nothing that would have helped matters.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
propositionnounUS /ˌprɑːpəˈzɪʃən/
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
Rodaine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Fairchild could have said nothing that would have helped matters.
Identical; not different.
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
SquintverbUS /skwɪnt/
cross one's eyes as if in strabismus
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
not in physical motion
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Fairchild could have said nothing that would have helped matters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He could have done nothing that would have damaged them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was just as well.
(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 It was just as well.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading Whether Harry had so intended it or not, he had forced Squint Rodaine to show his hand, and whether Squint realized it, that amounted to something.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The cards were still the same; the deck still bore its markings, and the deal was going on without ever a change, except that now the matter of concealment of enmities had turned to an open, aboveboard proposition.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Fairchild could have said nothing that would have helped matters.
