used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A week passed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
a youthful male person
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
a person who is in charge
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
fascinatedadjectiveUS /ˈfæsəneɪtəd/
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
for a limitless time
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
Gere
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
grimyadjectiveUS /ˈɡraɪmi/
thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
grindingnounUS /ˈɡraɪndɪŋ/
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
From this reading Her vivid imagination commenced to trouble her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
letter-press
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
the literary culture
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
levernounUS /ˈlevər/
a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
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 A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
Mabel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
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 A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
old-fashionedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊldˈfæʃənd/
out of fashion
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
operationnounUS /ˌɑːpərˈeɪʃən/
the state of being in effect or being operative
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading A week passed.
platesnounUS /pleɪts/
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
compacted by ironing
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
squeezedverbUS /skwiːzd/
past form of “squeeze” — to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
tighteradjectiveUS /ˈtaɪtər/
comparative of “tight” — closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
Times-Leader
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
a source of difficulty
From this reading Her vivid imagination commenced to trouble her.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
vividadjectiveUS /ˈvɪvəd/
evoking lifelike images within the mind
From this reading Her vivid imagination commenced to trouble her.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading A grimy office boy was forever grinding, and as Mabel had many a long wait for her chief, Miss Gere, she commenced to be fascinated by the operation.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In one corner of the _Times-Leader_ office there was an old-fashioned letter-press.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading A week passed.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You put the letters between two iron plates and slowly turned a bar that pressed a lever that squeezed the plates together tighter and tighter.
