used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
in addition
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading "Everybody here calls it Dirty Dick's," he replied curtly.
coarseadjectiveUS /kɔːrs/
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
complexionnounUS /kəmˈplekʃən/
the coloring of a person's face
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
contrastnounUS /ˈkɑːntræst/
the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
curtlyadverbUS /ˈkɜːrtli/
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading "Everybody here calls it Dirty Dick's," he replied curtly.
cynicallyadverbUS /ˈsɪnɪkəli/
with cynicism; in a cynical manner
From this reading Scaife smiled cynically.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
Desmond
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
Dick'snounUS /dɪks/
possessive form of “dick” — someone who is a detective
From this reading "Everybody here calls it Dirty Dick's," he replied curtly.
DirtyadjectiveUS /ˈdɜːrti/
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading "Everybody here calls it Dirty Dick's," he replied curtly.
every person
From this reading "Everybody here calls it Dirty Dick's," he replied curtly.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
genialadjectiveUS /ˈdʒiːnjəl/
diffusing warmth and friendliness
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
good-lookingadjectiveUS /ˈɡʊdlʊkɪŋ/
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
handsomer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
helplesslyadverbUS /ˈhelpləsli/
in a helpless manner
From this reading John stared helplessly.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Everybody here calls it Dirty Dick's," he replied curtly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Everybody here calls it Dirty Dick's," he replied curtly.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
social deportment
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
on the contrary
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Everybody here calls it Dirty Dick's," he replied curtly.
Scaife
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Scaife smiled cynically.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Scaife smiled cynically.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading John stared helplessly.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
strongly-marked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
swarthyadjectiveUS /ˈswɔːrði/
naturally having skin of a dark color
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
precisely as stated
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading He looked about a year older than John, but he had the air and manners of a man of the world--so John thought.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading Also, he was very good-looking, handsomer than Desmond, and in striking contrast to that smiling, genial youth, being dark, almost swarthy of complexion, with strongly-marked features and rather coarse hands and feet.
