used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
adobenounUS /əˈdoʊbi/
the clay from which adobe bricks are made
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
ain't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t reckon as how you ain’t needin’ no hands?”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Yep,” said Billings, “I reckon as how I am.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Yep,” said Billings, “I reckon as how I am.”
BillingsnounUS /ˈbɪlɪŋz/
the largest city in Montana; located in southern Montana on the Yellowstone river
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
bossnounUS /bɑːs/
a person who exercises control over workers
From this reading “I don’t reckon you’re the boss?” suggested the young man.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
conversingverbUS /kənˈvɜːrsɪŋ/
-ing form of “converse” — carry on a conversation
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
a female human offspring
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
dismounted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What kin you do?”
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t reckon you’re the boss?” suggested the young man.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading “I don’t reckon as how you ain’t needin’ no hands?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yep,” said Billings, “I reckon as how I am.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t reckon you’re the boss?” suggested the young man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
kinnounUS /kɪn/
a person having kinship with another or others
From this reading “What kin you do?”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
needin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t reckon as how you ain’t needin’ no hands?”
not any; not one
From this reading “I don’t reckon as how you ain’t needin’ no hands?”
noondaynoun
the middle of the day
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
pickingnounUS /ˈpɪkɪŋ/
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
ranchnounUS /ræntʃ/
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “I don’t reckon you’re the boss?” suggested the young man.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yep,” said Billings, “I reckon as how I am.”
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “I don’t reckon you’re the boss?” suggested the young man.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
tip-tiltedadjective
(used of noses) turned up at the end
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
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 A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What kin you do?”
which person or people
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
Yep
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yep,” said Billings, “I reckon as how I am.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I don’t reckon as how you ain’t needin’ no hands?”
you're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t reckon you’re the boss?” suggested the young man.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading A YOUNG man dismounted in the yard of the Billings ranch and approached the owner who, following the noonday meal, was tip-tilted in an arm chair against the adobe wall of the building, picking his teeth and conversing with his daughter.
