used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
(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 And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading And there were no clues to connect the long-armed man with any crime whatever.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
assistedadjectiveUS /əˈsɪstɪd/
having help; often used as a combining form
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
a youthful male person
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading There were no signs to go by.
cluesnounUS /kluːz/
plural of “clue” — a slight indication
From this reading And there were no clues to connect the long-armed man with any crime whatever.
coaxedverbUS /koʊkst/
past form of “coax” — influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
connectverbUS /kəˈnekt/
connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces
From this reading And there were no clues to connect the long-armed man with any crime whatever.
a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading And there were no clues to connect the long-armed man with any crime whatever.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
discussionsnounUS /dɪˈskʌʃənz/
plural of “discussion” — an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
one or the other of two
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
endedadjectiveUS /ˈendəd/
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
brought about or set up or accepted; especially long established
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
apart from; not including
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading There were no signs to go by.
GrannounUS /ɡræn/
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
hadn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
long-armedadjective
having relatively long arms
From this reading And there were no clues to connect the long-armed man with any crime whatever.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
of an obscure nature
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
not any; not one
From this reading There were no signs to go by.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
robberynounUS /ˈrɑːbəri/
larceny by threat of violence
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading There were no signs to go by.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were no signs to go by.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
a special situation
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There were no signs to go by.
create by training and teaching
From this reading The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.
a source of difficulty
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious man ended.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were no signs to go by.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading And there were no clues to connect the long-armed man with any crime whatever.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They hadn’t a thing to point to as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful.
