Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

(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 EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

for the reason that

From this reading He'll die because he ought to, He'll go because he's got to, So at him every man!

the past participle of “be”

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

plural of “billet” — a short personal letter

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

an edible emulsion of fat globules made by churning milk or cream; for cooking and table use

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Our motto Is "strafe him when you can."

of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

become fractured; break or crack on the surface only

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading He'll die because he ought to, He'll go because he's got to, So at him every man!

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading He'll die because he ought to, He'll go because he's got to, So at him every man!

found in the ordinary course of events

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

(theater) the space over the stage (out of view of the audience) used to store scenery (drop curtains)

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling or lightheadedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading He'll die because he ought to, He'll go because he's got to, So at him every man!

plural of “gobble” — the characteristic sound made by a turkey cock

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

the act of departing

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading He'll die because he ought to, He'll go because he's got to, So at him every man!

meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He'll die because he ought to, He'll go because he's got to, So at him every man!

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He'll die because he ought to, He'll go because he's got to, So at him every man!

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Our motto Is "strafe him when you can."

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

possessive form of “hour” — a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

a period of time assigned for work

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

press tightly together or cram

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading He'll die because he ought to, He'll go because he's got to, So at him every man!

the act of marching; walking with regular steps (especially in a procession of some kind)

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

a favorite saying of a sect or political group

From this reading Our motto Is "strafe him when you can."

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

an announcement containing information about an event

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading He'll die because he ought to, He'll go because he's got to, So at him every man!

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

the back of a military formation or procession

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

not tense or taut

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

the state of being asleep

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

marked by deception

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So strafe that fly!

plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

depleted of energy, force, or strength

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

attack with machine guns or cannon fire from a low-flying plane

From this reading So strafe that fly!

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading He'll die because he ought to, He'll go because he's got to, So at him every man!

plural of “trench” — a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

at the time that

From this reading Our motto Is "strafe him when you can."

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

actively engaged in paid work

From this reading What time we have not been in the trenches we have spent marching out or marching back to them, or sleeping in billets at the rear and going out as working parties, always ready to move at two hours' notice by day and one hour's notice by night.

(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability

From this reading EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE FRONT There's the butter, gad, and horse-fly, The blow-fly and the blue, The fine fly and the coarse fly, But never flew a worse fly Of all the flies that flew Than the little sneaky black fly That gobbles up our ham, The beggar's not a slack fly, He really is a crack fly, And wolfs the soldiers jam.

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Our motto Is "strafe him when you can."