used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading You have too much common-sense to pay any attention to a barking dog, so to speak.'
barkingverbUS /ˈbɑːrkɪŋ/
-ing form of “bark” — speak in an unfriendly tone
From this reading You have too much common-sense to pay any attention to a barking dog, so to speak.'
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
Blarneynoun
flattery designed to gain favor
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
can't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "''Tis easy to see,' ses Matty, 'that you can't be of any help or consolation to a man like myself.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
commitverbUS /kəˈmɪt/
perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
common-sense
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You have too much common-sense to pay any attention to a barking dog, so to speak.'
consolationnounUS /ˌkɑːnsəˈleɪʃən/
the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment
From this reading "''Tis easy to see,' ses Matty, 'that you can't be of any help or consolation to a man like myself.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading You have too much common-sense to pay any attention to a barking dog, so to speak.'
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
EiffelnounUS /ˈaɪfəl/
French engineer who constructed the Eiffel Tower (1832-1923)
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
one or the other of two
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
Gaekwar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
the act of departing
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You have too much common-sense to pay any attention to a barking dog, so to speak.'
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "''Tis easy to see,' ses Matty, 'that you can't be of any help or consolation to a man like myself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
I'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
I'm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "''Tis easy to see,' ses Matty, 'that you can't be of any help or consolation to a man like myself.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
Matty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
to a great degree or extent
From this reading You have too much common-sense to pay any attention to a barking dog, so to speak.'
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "''Tis easy to see,' ses Matty, 'that you can't be of any help or consolation to a man like myself.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
NiagaranounUS /naɪˈæɡrə/
waterfall in Canada is the Horseshoe Falls; in the United States it is the American Falls
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "''Tis easy to see,' ses Matty, 'that you can't be of any help or consolation to a man like myself.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading You have too much common-sense to pay any attention to a barking dog, so to speak.'
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
on the contrary
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "''Tis easy to see,' ses Matty, 'that you can't be of any help or consolation to a man like myself.
ses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
Shandon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading You have too much common-sense to pay any attention to a barking dog, so to speak.'
express in speech
From this reading You have too much common-sense to pay any attention to a barking dog, so to speak.'
SteeplenounUS /ˈstiːpəl/
a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
suicidenounUS /ˈsuːəsaɪd/
the act of killing yourself
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
swimverbUS /swɪm/
travel through water
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "''Tis easy to see,' ses Matty, 'that you can't be of any help or consolation to a man like myself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
tisn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading You have too much common-sense to pay any attention to a barking dog, so to speak.'
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
a source of difficulty
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "''Tis easy enough to understand them,' ses the Gaekwar, 'but 'tisn't easy to understand why we go to such trouble to please them.'
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading "'I'm going to commit suicide rather than try to please them any more,' ses Matty, 'and if I could discover whether New York or Boston would be the better place to end my life, I'd be a happy man.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "'You might as well die in either place as to jump from the Eiffel Tower, Blarney Castle, Shandon Steeple, or try to swim over Niagara Falls,' ses the Gaekwar.
