used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
acknowledgeverbUS /ækˈnɑːlɪdʒ/
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading I prefer to acknowledge defeat.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
checkmatenounUS /ˈtʃekmeɪt/
complete victory
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
chessnounUS /tʃes/
weedy annual native to Europe but widely distributed as a weed especially in wheat
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
dearly loved
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
defeatnounUS /dɪˈfiːt/
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading I prefer to acknowledge defeat.
one or the other of two
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
in a free manner
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
hangedverbUS /hæŋd/
past form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
not in action or at work
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
inevitableadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnevətəbəl/
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
insecureadjectiveUS /ˈɪnsəkjər/
not firm or firmly fixed; likely to fail or give way
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
participate in games or sport
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
playernounUS /ˈpleɪər/
a person who participates in or is skilled at some game
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
like better; value more highly
From this reading I prefer to acknowledge defeat.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading I must either stay at home and be hanged or escape abroad and live in an idle and insecure obscurity.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
precisely as stated
From this reading He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
at the time that
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Dear Lord Peter—When I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my father’s.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours.
