used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
appetitenounUS /ˈæpətaɪt/
a feeling of craving something
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
AustinnounUS /ˈɔːstən/
state capital of Texas on the Colorado River; site of the University of Texas
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then Mr. Austin began to observe.
a youthful male person
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
dishesnounUS /ˈdɪʃəz/
plural of “dish” — a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
take in liquids
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
enduredverbUS /enˈdjʊrd/
past form of “endure” — put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
frijoles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
depressingly dark
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
an established custom
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
and nothing more
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
MexicannounUS /ˈmeksəkən/
a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
a form of address for a man
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
Ned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
not any; not one
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading Then Mr. Austin began to observe.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
optimismnounUS /ˈɑːptəmɪzəm/
the optimistic feeling that all is going to turn out well
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
saucernounUS /ˈsɔːsər/
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
SinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Mr. Austin began to observe.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Since it was his habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at first.
tortillasnounUS /ˌtɔːrˈtiːəz/
plural of “tortilla” — thin unleavened pancake made from cornmeal or wheat flour
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He merely picked at his food, made a faint effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup back almost full in the saucer.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next morning, but Ned was gloomy.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles, other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no appetite.
