used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
(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 He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
benevolentadjectiveUS /bəˈnevələnt/
intending or showing kindness
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then Miller, the fat German-American, came in.
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
cordiallyadverbUS /ˈkɔːrdʒəli/
in a hearty manner
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
cunningadjectiveUS /ˈkʌnɪŋ/
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
delightedlyadverb
with delight
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
Ethel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading Then Miller, the fat German-American, came in.
a boy or man
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
friend'snounUS /frendz/
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
German-Americanadjective
of or relating to or characteristic of German Americans
From this reading Then Miller, the fat German-American, came in.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
gold-rimmed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then Miller, the fat German-American, came in.
jovialadjectiveUS /ˈdʒoʊviəl/
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
MillernounUS /ˈmɪlər/
United States bandleader of a popular big band (1909-1944)
From this reading Then Miller, the fat German-American, came in.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
profuselyadverbUS /prəˈfjuːsli/
in an abundant manner
From this reading He was very fat and he sweated profusely.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
salliesnounUS /ˈsæliz/
plural of “sally” — witty remark
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
cut with a saw
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
shrewdadjectiveUS /ʃruːd/
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
sodanounUS /ˈsoʊdə/
a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
in the near future
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
spectaclesnounUS /ˈspektəkəlz/
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
story-teller
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
sweatedverbUS /ˈswetɪd/
past form of “sweat” — excrete perspiration through the pores in the skin
From this reading He was very fat and he sweated profusely.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then Miller, the fat German-American, came in.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Miller, the fat German-American, came in.
up to a particular time
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
precisely as stated
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was very fat and he sweated profusely.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
whiskynounUS /ˈwɪski/
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading He shook hands all round very cordially and sat down, asking in his loud, cheerful voice for a whisky and soda.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
wipedverbUS /waɪpt/
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Soon he had the two women, Ethel and my friend's wife, laughing delightedly at his sallies.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading He took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and wiped them; you saw then that his little eyes, benevolent behind the large round glasses, were shrewd and cunning; the party had been somewhat dull till he came, but he was a good story-teller and a jovial fellow.
