Chapter XIX

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

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

personal knowledge or information about someone or something

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

(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 Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

in an affable manner

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

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

From this reading The less juvenile, and the elders, looked broodingly at it.

move towards

From this reading Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The less juvenile, and the elders, looked broodingly at it.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

a committee having supervisory powers

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

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

From this reading The less juvenile, and the elders, looked broodingly at it.

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

marked by blithe unconcern

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

throw carelessly

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

cause to herd, drive, or crowd together

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way

From this reading The younger fry sparred, and danced, and fought for possession of the mouth organ.

one or the other of two

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

plural of “elder” — a person who is older than you are

From this reading The less juvenile, and the elders, looked broodingly at it.

release from entanglement of difficulty

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

the organ of sight

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The younger fry sparred, and danced, and fought for possession of the mouth organ.

inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight

From this reading The younger fry sparred, and danced, and fought for possession of the mouth organ.

be excessively hot

From this reading The younger fry sparred, and danced, and fought for possession of the mouth organ.

any number of entities (members) considered as a unit

From this reading Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

cause to stop

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

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

From this reading Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

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

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

plural of “intention” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

From this reading Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The less juvenile, and the elders, looked broodingly at it.

of or relating to or characteristic of or appropriate for children or young people

From this reading The less juvenile, and the elders, looked broodingly at it.

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 Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

inflected form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

staying power

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading The less juvenile, and the elders, looked broodingly at it.

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

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading The less juvenile, and the elders, looked broodingly at it.

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

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading The younger fry sparred, and danced, and fought for possession of the mouth organ.

a surrounding or nearby region

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

express or signify by nodding

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function

From this reading The younger fry sparred, and danced, and fought for possession of the mouth organ.

the act of having and controlling property

From this reading The younger fry sparred, and danced, and fought for possession of the mouth organ.

adopted in order to deceive

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

move with force

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

with speed

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

in a shrewd manner

From this reading Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

a person, without saying who

From this reading Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

inflected form of “spar” — furnish with spars

From this reading The younger fry sparred, and danced, and fought for possession of the mouth organ.

become taut or tauter

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

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

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

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

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services

From this reading The "Push" came to a halt before the Board of Trade building.

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

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Now and then somebody who really knew one of the group would approach, and all would look at him shrewdly to see what his intentions might be.

which person or people

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.

used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father

From this reading The younger fry sparred, and danced, and fought for possession of the mouth organ.

plural of “youth” — a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading Now and then a man who leant against a wall of the neighbourhood would catch the eye of one of the youths in the crowd and nod amiably, and the man nodded at would either look away quickly, or would tauten his legs and chuck his chest a little, look up the wall behind the man who had pretended to be an acquaintance, slow, casual, and so extricate himself.