used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
from one side of something to the other
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
eat an early morning meal
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
buyingnounUS /ˈbaɪɪŋ/
the act of buying
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
compassnounUS /ˈkʌmpəs/
navigational instrument for finding directions
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
handyadjectiveUS /ˈhændi/
easy to reach
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
haven't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
Leavenworth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
immediately following in time or order
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
not any; not one
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
outfitnounUS /ˈaʊtfɪt/
any cohesive unit such as a military company
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
prairienounUS /ˈpreri/
a treeless grassy plain
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
a special situation
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
male cat
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
being of use or service
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
WALNUTnounUS /ˈwɔːlnʌt/
nut of any of various walnut trees having a wrinkled two-lobed seed with a hard shell
From this reading OUR CAMP ON WALNUT CREEK Next morning at breakfast I said:
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
look attentively
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
we'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
(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 "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What!"
at the time that
From this reading "How was it, Tom, that when we were buying our outfit at Leavenworth we forgot to get a compass?
in or at the place that
From this reading That is a pretty useful thing in travelling across the prairie, where there is no road or trail to follow?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Well," replied Tom, "it would be handy to have a compass, but we haven't got one and so we'll have to do the next best thing, and thank the Lord I have a good watch to run our course by."
