Chapter I

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

in the past

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

a very troublesome child

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

(used in the plural) informal term for breeches

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

a tight-fitting headdress

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

strips of potato fried in deep fat

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

under normal conditions

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading Lancelot Biggs was dead.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

a liquid (as water) that flows in drops (as from the eaves of house)

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

your parents

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

a cargo ship

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

tall and thin and having long slender limbs

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

be shiny, as if wet

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

tough and callous by virtue of experience

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

follow stealthily or recur constantly and spontaneously to

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

where you live at a particular time

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

inflected form of “hop” — jump lightly

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

apprehended with certainty

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

(Arthurian legend) one of the knights of the Round Table; friend of King Arthur until (according to some versions of the legend) he became the lover of Arthur's wife Guinevere

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

informal terms for a mother

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

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 My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

a pair of people who live together

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

by chance

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

the branch of physics that studies the physical properties of light

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

bulge outward

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

the act of applying force in order to move something away

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

precisely, exactly

From this reading And mama was right.

incapable of or resistant to bending

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdom

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

a giant planet that is surrounded by three planar concentric rings of ice particles; the 6th planet from the sun

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

express in words

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

transport commercially

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

lift onto one's shoulders

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

a student who fails to attend classes

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

resembling steel as in hardness

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

carry out

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading So I'm commonly known as "that smart-Aleck Bert Donovan," and folks think I'm hard-boiled--but I didn't feel like any ten-minute egg the afternoon Diane Hanson, her pop, Cap Hanson, skipper of the freighter _Saturn_, and I came home from Lancelot Biggs' funeral.

having three corners

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

the topmost one of two

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

(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 _The shade of that gangling genius of the spaceways--Lancelot Biggs--comes back to haunt his old ship mates._ Folks say I'm hard-boiled; well, maybe so.

at the time that

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading My mama told me a long time ago--when I was a brat in three-cornered britches--that if you keep your upper lip rigid and a steely glint in the old optics and _le craque sage_ dripping from your tongue, not many people will be hopping around, pushing chips off your shoulder and daring you to take off your glasses.