Chapter V

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

(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 But he felt neat through it all.

Having no one else present.

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

any thing at all

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

in addition to; as well as

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

(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 But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

opinion or judgment

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading But he felt neat through it all.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

ten 10s

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

be the source of pain

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

set down according to a plan

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

engage in

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

to a great degree or extent

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

clean or organized

From this reading But he felt neat through it all.

keep busy with

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

apply a heavy coat to

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

past form of “soar” — rise rapidly

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

in the near future

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

a chronic drinker

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading But he felt neat through it all.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

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 Wall, jist as soon as the house wus done, he sot out to find some one to occupy it, for that man couldn’t seem to wait a minute.

(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 But I held firm and told him, “He’d better let well enough alone.”

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading It seemed as if the more money he laid out, and the werse he got hurt, the more his mind soared up a-thinkin’ how much money he wus goin’ to make a-rentin’ it, and what a beautiful time he wus a-goin’ to have a-neighborin’.

in the company of; together with

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he wus sot as sot could be, and went on a-fixin’ the house, and it cost him nearer a hundred dollars than it did anything else, besides lamin’ himself, and blisterin’ his hands to work on it himself, and fillin’ his eyes with plaster, and gettin’ creaks in his back a-liftin’ ’round and repairin’.