used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading ’Plump, plump,’ he said, turning his head about.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading At a sign, the two butchers at the door advanced and seized their victim.
AdvancingadjectiveUS /ədˈvænsɪŋ/
moving forward
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At a sign, the two butchers at the door advanced and seized their victim.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At a sign, the two butchers at the door advanced and seized their victim.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
butchersnounUS /ˈbʊtʃərz/
plural of “butcher” — a retailer of meat
From this reading At a sign, the two butchers at the door advanced and seized their victim.
caponnounUS /ˈkeɪpɑːn/
flesh of a castrated male chicken
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
Castellan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
desperatelyadverbUS /ˈdespərətli/
with great urgency
From this reading He struggled desperately in their grasp.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading At a sign, the two butchers at the door advanced and seized their victim.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
fowlnounUS /faʊl/
a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
hold firmly
From this reading He struggled desperately in their grasp.
grinningnounUS /ˈɡrɪnɪŋ/
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading ’Plump, plump,’ he said, turning his head about.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading ’Plump, plump,’ he said, turning his head about.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He struggled desperately in their grasp.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
market-wife
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
Messer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
PlumpadjectiveUS /plʌmp/
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading ’Plump, plump,’ he said, turning his head about.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ’Plump, plump,’ he said, turning his head about.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading At a sign, the two butchers at the door advanced and seized their victim.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading At a sign, the two butchers at the door advanced and seized their victim.
singeverbUS /sɪndʒ/
burn superficially or lightly
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
spitverbUS /spɪt/
expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading He struggled desperately in their grasp.
testingnounUS /ˈtestɪŋ/
the act of subjecting to experimental test in order to determine how well something works
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading At a sign, the two butchers at the door advanced and seized their victim.
thumbedadjectiveUS /θʌmd/
(of pages) worn or soiled by thumb and fingers by frequent handling or turning
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
trussing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading ’Plump, plump,’ he said, turning his head about.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading At a sign, the two butchers at the door advanced and seized their victim.
an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading At a sign, the two butchers at the door advanced and seized their victim.
victim'snounUS /ˈvɪktəmz/
possessive form of “victim” — an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading ’Shall we not singe the fat capon, Messer Castellan, before trussing him for the spit?’
in the company of; together with
From this reading Advancing, with set grinning lips, he thumbed the victim’s arm, as he might be a market-wife testing a fowl.
