used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading Gifford agreed, and they fell to discussing the day's plans.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
any person at all
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
any thing at all
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
casuallyadverbUS /ˈkæʒəwəli/
not methodically or according to plan
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
day'snounUS /deɪz/
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Gifford agreed, and they fell to discussing the day's plans.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
discussingverbUS /dɪˈskʌsɪŋ/
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading Gifford agreed, and they fell to discussing the day's plans.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
divisible by two
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Gifford agreed, and they fell to discussing the day's plans.
a boy or man
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
fishyadjectiveUS /ˈfɪʃi/
of or relating to or resembling fish
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
Gifford
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gifford agreed, and they fell to discussing the day's plans.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
heartyadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːrti/
showing warm and heartfelt friendliness
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
Kelson
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
missingadjectiveUS /ˈmɪsɪŋ/
not able to be found
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
information about recent and important events
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
not any; not one
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
outsidernounUS /ˌaʊtˈsaɪ.dər/
A person who does not belong to a particular group or community; a stranger.
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading Gifford agreed, and they fell to discussing the day's plans.
on the contrary
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
express in words
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
carry out
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gifford agreed, and they fell to discussing the day's plans.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The morning brought no news, and even Kelson began to think there might be something serious in it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE LOCKED ROOM That night the missing man did not return, nor was anything heard of him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
at the time that
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "If it was anybody but that man," he said casually over a hearty breakfast, "I should say it would be worth while taking steps to find out what had become of him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But that fellow can take care of himself; and when you come to think of it, his coming down here, an outsider, to the ball, was in itself rather fishy."
