Chapter IV

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading My first experience as a public conjuror and card manipulator dates back somewhere about five-and-twenty years.

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

eagerly desirous

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

feeling or expressive of gratitude

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

plural of “attempt” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

plural of “audience” — a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

causing inconvenience

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

come out better in a competition, race, or conflict

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

for the reason that

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a youthful male person

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

plural of “broker” — a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes

From this reading My first experience as a public conjuror and card manipulator dates back somewhere about five-and-twenty years.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

rid of obstructions

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

calling up a spirit or devil

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

someone who performs magic tricks to amuse an audience

From this reading My first experience as a public conjuror and card manipulator dates back somewhere about five-and-twenty years.

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

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

a natural object that covers or envelops

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

plural of “date” — the specified day of the month

From this reading My first experience as a public conjuror and card manipulator dates back somewhere about five-and-twenty years.

a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together

From this reading Sheer necessity drove me to it.

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

undergo or live through a difficult experience

From this reading My first experience as a public conjuror and card manipulator dates back somewhere about five-and-twenty years.

plural of “experience” — the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading My first experience as a public conjuror and card manipulator dates back somewhere about five-and-twenty years.

any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a former English silver coin worth four pennies

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

obtain

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a contest with rules to determine a winner

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the act of acquiring something

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

a farewell remark

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

third-person singular of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

where you live at a particular time

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

cause to come to know personally

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Sheer necessity drove me to it.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

tell false information to for fun

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

an agent that operates some apparatus or machine

From this reading My first experience as a public conjuror and card manipulator dates back somewhere about five-and-twenty years.

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Sheer necessity drove me to it.

a person who carries a message

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the condition of being essential or indispensable

From this reading Sheer necessity drove me to it.

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

not any; not one

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

on one occasion

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

any cohesive unit such as a military company

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

have ownership or possession of

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

affix in a public place or for public notice

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

almost; nearly

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

the possibility of future success

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

people in general considered as a whole

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

accomplished rapidly and without delay

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

past form of “reward” — bestow honor or rewards upon

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a public act of violence by an unruly mob

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers

From this reading Sheer necessity drove me to it.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

start suddenly, as from fright

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

being one more than fifteen

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

being of delicate or slender build

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

the underside of footwear or a golf club

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

in or at or to some place

From this reading My first experience as a public conjuror and card manipulator dates back somewhere about five-and-twenty years.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

near that time or date

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

a physiological need to drink

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a vagrant

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

plural of “trick” — a cunning or deceitful action or device

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.

plural of “watch” — a small portable timepiece

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

accept gladly

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

which person or people

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

single because of death of the spouse

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

in the company of; together with

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

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

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

vehemently incensed and condemnatory

From this reading EARLY EXPERIENCES Work as a telegraph messenger boy--First attempts at “public” entertainment--Small but appreciative audiences--I introduce the cycle to the Post Office--Christmas-boxing on my own--I am rewarded with the “Order of the Sack”--Hard times--A home-made conjuring outfit--On tramp to Southend--Busking on the sands --Wrathful “niggers”--“Stage” fright--“Best clear, kid”--I clear--On the road back to London--Hunger and thirst--Four shows for fourpence--A “welcome” home--No food in the house and the brokers in--“Covering the spot”--Jimmy Jennings--I win watches--Beat a game and gain a friend--“A quick way of making money”--Learning to be a street patterer--Tricks of the showman’s trade--Nearly a riot--Jimmy grows anxious--Good-bye to London once more--A new pitch--And the beginning of a new life.

a late time of life

From this reading My first experience as a public conjuror and card manipulator dates back somewhere about five-and-twenty years.

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading This was awkward, because I was practically the sole support of my widowed mother, who was a cripple, and four young sisters.

a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading A slim, shy youth of sixteen, or thereabouts, I was out of a job at the time, with no prospect, so far as I could see, of getting into one.