used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
Andy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
aspirantsnounUS /ˈæspərənts/
plural of “aspirant” — an ambitious and aspiring young person
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading John Payson, turning at the moment, saw it and smiled.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
blanketsnounUS /ˈblæŋkəts/
plural of “blanket” — bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
candidatesnounUS /ˈkændədeɪts/
plural of “candidate” — a politician who is running for public office
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
every person
From this reading THE FIRST SCRIMMAGE “This way, everyone!”
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE FIRST SCRIMMAGE “This way, everyone!”
footballnounUS /ˈfʊtbɔːl/
any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
assemble or get together
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
gridironnounUS /ˈɡrɪdaɪərn/
a cooking utensil of parallel metal bars; used to grill fish or meat
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading John Payson, turning at the moment, saw it and smiled.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Payson, turning at the moment, saw it and smiled.
immediately past
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
megaphonenounUS /ˈmeɡəfoʊn/
a cone-shaped acoustic device held to the mouth to intensify and direct the human voice
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
the force of workers available
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
a particular point in time
From this reading John Payson, turning at the moment, saw it and smiled.
motleynounUS /ˈmɑːtli/
a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
pailnounUS /peɪl/
a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
pantingnounUS /ˈpæntɪŋ/
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
the local environment
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
Payson
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
pessimisticadjectiveUS /ˌpesəˈmɪstɪk/
expecting the worst possible outcome
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
playersnounUS /ˈpleɪərz/
plural of “player” — a person who participates in or is skilled at some game
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
red-haired
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
Ryan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
cut with a saw
From this reading John Payson, turning at the moment, saw it and smiled.
SCRIMMAGEnounUS /ˈskrɪmɪdʒ/
(American football) practice play between a football team's squads
From this reading THE FIRST SCRIMMAGE “This way, everyone!”
seasonedadjectiveUS /ˈsiːzənd/
aged or processed
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
side-line
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
sixty-odd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
sizesnounUS /ˈsaɪzəz/
plural of “size” — the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading John Payson, turning at the moment, saw it and smiled.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
substitutesnounUS /ˈsʌbstətuːts/
plural of “substitute” — a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
swingingnounUS /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/
changing location by moving back and forth
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
TeamnounUS /tiːm/
a cooperative unit (especially in sports)
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FIRST SCRIMMAGE “This way, everyone!”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE FIRST SCRIMMAGE “This way, everyone!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
trainernounUS /ˈtreɪnər/
one who trains other persons or animals
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading John Payson, turning at the moment, saw it and smiled.
VarsitynounUS /ˈvɑːrsɪti/
a British abbreviation of “university”; usually refers to Oxford University or Cambridge University
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
veteransnounUS /ˈvetərənz/
plural of “veteran” — a serviceman who has seen considerable active service
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
viewedverbUS /vjuːd/
past form of “view” — deem to be
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Coach Payson sent the call to each end of the field and then, swinging his small blue megaphone in his hand, waited for the panting players to gather about him in front of the bench.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading THE FIRST SCRIMMAGE “This way, everyone!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Andy Ryan, the little red-haired trainer, stood over his pile of blankets and his water pail, back of the side-line, and viewed the sixty-odd candidates with a pessimistic shake of his head.
Yardley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
year'snounUS /jɪrz/
possessive form of “year” — a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading They came running in from all parts of the gridiron, a motley gathering of football aspirants; seasoned veterans of last year’s Yardley Varsity, Second Team men, substitutes, new boys; big, little, fat, thin, all sizes and conditions.
