used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
abusingverbUS /əˈbjuːzɪŋ/
-ing form of “abuse” — treat badly
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
in the past
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
breech-loader
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
can't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I can’t enjoy this money, now that I have got it,” said he.
an occurrence of something
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
DECLAREverbUS /dɪˈkler/
state emphatically and authoritatively
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “I can’t enjoy this money, now that I have got it,” said he.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
fishing-rod
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
set up or found
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
usually; as a rule
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “I can’t enjoy this money, now that I have got it,” said he.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I can’t enjoy this money, now that I have got it,” said he.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I can’t enjoy this money, now that I have got it,” said he.
and nothing more
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “I can’t enjoy this money, now that I have got it,” said he.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “I can’t enjoy this money, now that I have got it,” said he.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
one of four equal parts
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
recurring again and again
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
RUNAWAYnounUS /ˈrʌnəweɪ/
an easy victory
From this reading THE RUNAWAY.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I can’t enjoy this money, now that I have got it,” said he.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RUNAWAY.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I can’t enjoy this money, now that I have got it,” said he.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I DECLARE I never thought of that before,” repeated Bob, after he had spent a quarter of an hour in thinking the matter over.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
a source of difficulty
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “My breech-loader and fishing-rod are just as far out of my reach as they were a week ago.
at the time that
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading As was generally the case when he found himself in trouble, he fell to abusing his luck, which had not served him a better turn.
