used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
bashedverbUS /bæʃt/
past form of “bash” — hit hard
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
blokenounUS /bloʊk/
a boy or man
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
conceivablyadverbUS /kənˈsiːvəbli/
within the realm of possibility
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
dinglenounUS /ˈdɪŋɡəl/
a small wooded hollow
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "Henrietta," I said, "what have you done with my coat?"
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
harderadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdər/
comparative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Henrietta," I said, "what have you done with my coat?"
Havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He took me unawares," said I.
Henrietta
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Henrietta," I said, "what have you done with my coat?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "He took me unawares," said I.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
Lo-tun-an
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "He took me unawares," said I.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
not any; not one
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
oakenadjective
consisting of or made of wood of the oak tree
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
quotedverbUS /ˈkwoʊtɪd/
past form of “quote” — repeat a passage from
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "He took me unawares," said I.
stilenounUS /staɪl/
an upright that is a member in a door or window frame
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
straightenverbUS /ˈstreɪtən/
straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock might be, it might always conceivably be harder, I looked about for my coat, but could by no means find it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "He took me unawares," said I.
the upper part of anything
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
unawaresadverbUS /ˌʌnəˈwerz/
without forethought or plan; inadvertently
From this reading "He took me unawares," said I.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
at the time that
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading By this time I was able to straighten myself up by the aid of the oaken bar which formed the top of the stile.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Henrietta," I said, "what have you done with my coat?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What else would the bloke do when you bashed his hat?" said the maiden from the dingle.
