Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

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

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

generally approved or compelling recognition

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

plural of “acquaintance” — personal knowledge or information about someone or something

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

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

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

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

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

on or to one side

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading INCIDENTS IN LIFE AT BALLARAT.

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

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

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

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

From this reading INCIDENTS IN LIFE AT BALLARAT.

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

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

a mountain or tall hill

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

possessive form of “californian” — a native or resident of California

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

taking care or paying attention

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

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

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

a roll of tobacco for smoking

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

not invading healthy tissue

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

with great urgency

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

the act of leaving secretly or without explanation

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

brought about or set up or accepted; especially long established

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering

From this reading "I s'pose you hain't forgot old friends nor nothing?"

a requirement of etiquette or custom

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading "I s'pose you hain't forgot old friends nor nothing?"

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

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

From this reading "I s'pose you hain't forgot old friends nor nothing?"

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

only a very short time before

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

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

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

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

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

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

From this reading INCIDENTS IN LIFE AT BALLARAT.

plural of “incident” — a single distinct event

From this reading INCIDENTS IN LIFE AT BALLARAT.

possessive form of “inspector” — a high ranking police officer

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

set down according to a plan

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading INCIDENTS IN LIFE AT BALLARAT.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

of an obscure nature

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading "I s'pose you hain't forgot old friends nor nothing?"

not one thing; not anything

From this reading "I s'pose you hain't forgot old friends nor nothing?"

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

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

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

freed from illness or injury

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

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

From this reading "I s'pose you hain't forgot old friends nor nothing?"

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

plural of “six” — the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

the act of smoking tobacco or other substances

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

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

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Charley said, as he carefully laid aside his cigar, to be resumed some other time, while he accepted a pot of coffee at the hands of Smith.

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

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

in a smutty manner

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

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

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

at the time that

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

during the time that

From this reading Ben was smoking away desperately at a short pipe, nearly as black as his beard, while Charley, as became the owner of an established business, confined his attention to a cigar which are vulgarly called, in this country, "short sixes," I believe.

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading We had hardly recovered from the surprise of the inspector's mysterious disappearance, when our old acquaintances, Charley, the proprietor of the "Californian's Retreat," and "Big Ben," made their appearance, and seated themselves upon boxes in our tent without the formality of being asked.

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "I s'pose you hain't forgot old friends nor nothing?"