used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “That was all right,” responded McLane, pushing a chair up to his desk.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “That was all right,” responded McLane, pushing a chair up to his desk.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “You rang off before I could ask you to breakfast with me, Colonel.”
barelyadverbUS /ˈberli/
only a very short time before
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “You rang off before I could ask you to breakfast with me, Colonel.”
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “I was sorry to cut short your breakfast hour.”
Calhoun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
CarternounUS /ˈkɑːrtər/
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “That was all right,” responded McLane, pushing a chair up to his desk.
CLEWSnounUS /kluːz/
the cords used to suspend a hammock
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
cordialitynoun
a cordial disposition
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “You rang off before I could ask you to breakfast with me, Colonel.”
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading “I was sorry to cut short your breakfast hour.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “That was all right,” responded McLane, pushing a chair up to his desk.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
ELUSIVEadjectiveUS /ɪˈluːsɪv/
difficult to describe
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
greetverbUS /ɡriːt/
express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading “I was sorry to cut short your breakfast hour.”
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I was sorry to cut short your breakfast hour.”
impatiencenounUS /ˌɪmˈpeɪʃəns/
a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
LeonardnounUS /ˈlenərd/
United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
McLane
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You rang off before I could ask you to breakfast with me, Colonel.”
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
occupantnounUS /ˈɑːkjəpənt/
someone who lives at a particular place for a prolonged period or who was born there
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “You rang off before I could ask you to breakfast with me, Colonel.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
pushingnounUS /ˈpʊʃɪŋ/
the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading “That was all right,” responded McLane, pushing a chair up to his desk.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “You rang off before I could ask you to breakfast with me, Colonel.”
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “That was all right,” responded McLane, pushing a chair up to his desk.
responsenounUS /rɪˈspɑːns/
a result
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “That was all right,” responded McLane, pushing a chair up to his desk.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “I was sorry to cut short your breakfast hour.”
sorryadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːri/
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “I was sorry to cut short your breakfast hour.”
telephonenounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That was all right,” responded McLane, pushing a chair up to his desk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “That was all right,” responded McLane, pushing a chair up to his desk.
urgentadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrdʒənt/
compelling immediate action
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
vainlyadverbUS /ˈveɪnli/
to no avail
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
at the time that
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
in the company of; together with
From this reading ELUSIVE CLEWS IT was barely nine o’clock in the morning when Leonard McLane reached his office in response to an urgent telephone call, and the one occupant of his office rose to greet him with marked impatience, which he vainly tried to conceal under cordiality.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “It was good of you to hurry down,” said Colonel Carter Calhoun following him into his private office.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I was sorry to cut short your breakfast hour.”
