used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
having fair knowledge of
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then,--who knows?--she _might_ be pleasant when you come to know her better."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading "Well, Aunt Sally didn't do much toward clearing up things, did she?" she went on.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading And then,--who knows?--she _might_ be pleasant when you come to know her better."
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "No chance!" declared Phyllis, and dismissed that subject.
clearingnounUS /ˈklɪrɪŋ/
a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area
From this reading "Well, Aunt Sally didn't do much toward clearing up things, did she?" she went on.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And then,--who knows?--she _might_ be pleasant when you come to know her better."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
the first light of day
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "No chance!" declared Phyllis, and dismissed that subject.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Well, Aunt Sally didn't do much toward clearing up things, did she?" she went on.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, Aunt Sally didn't do much toward clearing up things, did she?" she went on.
dismissedadjectiveUS /dɪˈsmɪst/
having lost your job
From this reading "No chance!" declared Phyllis, and dismissed that subject.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
forcingverbUS /ˈfɔːrsɪŋ/
-ing form of “force” — to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
indignantlyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdɪɡnəntliː/
in an indignant manner
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And then,--who knows?--she _might_ be pleasant when you come to know her better."
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading And then,--who knows?--she _might_ be pleasant when you come to know her better."
take somebody somewhere
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
mainlyadverbUS /ˈmeɪnli/
for the most part
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Well, Aunt Sally didn't do much toward clearing up things, did she?" she went on.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
not any; not one
From this reading "No chance!" declared Phyllis, and dismissed that subject.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
Phyllis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading And then,--who knows?--she _might_ be pleasant when you come to know her better."
SallynounUS /ˈsæli/
witty remark
From this reading "Well, Aunt Sally didn't do much toward clearing up things, did she?" she went on.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then,--who knows?--she _might_ be pleasant when you come to know her better."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
solvingnounUS /ˈsɑːlvɪŋ/
finding a solution to a problem
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading "No chance!" declared Phyllis, and dismissed that subject.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then,--who knows?--she _might_ be pleasant when you come to know her better."
a special situation
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading "Well, Aunt Sally didn't do much toward clearing up things, did she?" she went on.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Well, Aunt Sally didn't do much toward clearing up things, did she?" she went on.
wasn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
(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 "Well, Aunt Sally didn't do much toward clearing up things, did she?" she went on.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Well, Aunt Sally didn't do much toward clearing up things, did she?" she went on.
at the time that
From this reading And then,--who knows?--she _might_ be pleasant when you come to know her better."
which person or people
From this reading And then,--who knows?--she _might_ be pleasant when you come to know her better."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, if we could do so in some way that wasn't like forcing ourselves on her, it might lead to a good many things--solving our mystery mainly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading AT DAWN "How do you mean--it might be the best thing to get acquainted with her?" demanded Phyllis, indignantly.
