used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
accidentaladjectiveUS /ˌæksəˈdentəl/
happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
bouquetnounUS /buːˈkeɪ/
an arrangement of flowers that is usually given as a present
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
buyingnounUS /ˈbaɪɪŋ/
the act of buying
From this reading He was not buying flowers for a cigar clerk nor a telephone operator.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
chrysanthemumsnounUS /krɪˈsænθəməmz/
plural of “chrysanthemum” — the flower of a chrysanthemum plant
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
cigarnounUS /sɪˈɡɑːr/
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading He was not buying flowers for a cigar clerk nor a telephone operator.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading He was not buying flowers for a cigar clerk nor a telephone operator.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
destinedadjectiveUS /ˈdestɪnd/
headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in “college-bound students”
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading He was not buying flowers for a cigar clerk nor a telephone operator.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was not buying flowers for a cigar clerk nor a telephone operator.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Far from that.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
destroyed or killed
From this reading No, Johnny had not gone soft.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading No, Johnny had not gone soft.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
increasingadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkriːsɪŋ/
becoming greater or larger
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
not any; not one
From this reading No, Johnny had not gone soft.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading He was not buying flowers for a cigar clerk nor a telephone operator.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading No, Johnny had not gone soft.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
operatornounUS /ˈɑːpəreɪtər/
(mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation
From this reading He was not buying flowers for a cigar clerk nor a telephone operator.
perplexitynounUS /pərˈpleksəti/
trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
purchasingnounUS /ˈpɜːrtʃəsɪŋ/
the act of buying
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading No, Johnny had not gone soft.
solvingnounUS /ˈsɑːlvɪŋ/
finding a solution to a problem
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
telephonenounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading He was not buying flowers for a cigar clerk nor a telephone operator.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
ThompsonnounUS /ˈtɑːmpsən/
United States classical archaeologist (born in Canada) noted for leading the excavation of the Athenian agora (1906-2000)
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was not buying flowers for a cigar clerk nor a telephone operator.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading These facts were discovered as he went about the business of purchasing a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading That day Johnny Thompson, in quite an accidental manner, came into possession of certain facts that, while increasing his perplexity at the time, were destined in the end to go far toward solving a great mystery.
