used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading 'And what about pay, Nickperry?
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
Blow-fly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
expressionsnounUS /ɪkˈspreʃənz/
plural of “expression” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
handyadjectiveUS /ˈhændi/
easy to reach
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
a boy or man
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Perkins was no respecter of persons.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
Nickperry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'And what about pay, Nickperry?
not any; not one
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
obviouslyadverbUS /ˈɑːbviəsli/
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
officiallyadverbUS /əˈfɪʃəli/
in an official role
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
overheardverbUS /ˈoʊvərˈhɜːrd/
inflected form of “overhear” — hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading 'And what about pay, Nickperry?
Perkins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Perkins was no respecter of persons.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading Mr. Perkins was no respecter of persons.
Piggins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
playfuladjectiveUS /ˈpleɪfəl/
full of fun and high spirits
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
respecternoun
a person who respects someone or something; usually used in the negative
From this reading Mr. Perkins was no respecter of persons.
ribaldrynounUS /ˈraɪbɑːldri/
ribald humor
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
marked by correspondence or resemblance
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
Sossidge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'And what about pay, Nickperry?
at the time that
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
whimsicalities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading One of the points of difference between husband and wife, in their spoken whimsicalities, was that the man had no sense of shame and the wife had.
wife'snounUS /waɪfs/
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading I have overheard similar expressions of playful ribaldry upon his wife's lips many a time, but never when I was obviously and officially in their presence.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would have addressed his wife as 'Blow-fly,' or 'Sossidge,' or 'Piggins,' or by any of the ridiculous names of the sort that he affected, in the presence of the queen or his own handy lad.
