used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
attitudesnounUS /ˈætətuːdz/
plural of “attitude” — a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
blunderverbUS /ˈblʌndər/
commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
an occurrence of something
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading The colour rushed to his face and his eyes dropped.
the appearance conveyed by a person's face
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading The colour rushed to his face and his eyes dropped.
ejaculateverbUS /ɪˈdʒækjuːleɪt/
utter impulsively
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
expressionlessadjectiveUS /ɪkspreʃənlɪs/
deliberately impassive in manner
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The colour rushed to his face and his eyes dropped.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The colour rushed to his face and his eyes dropped.
FalconernounUS /ˈfælkənər/
a person who breeds and trains hawks and who follows the sport of falconry
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
inflected form of “flee” — run away quickly
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading Merciful Heaven! was the man speaking the truth when he said that he, Stafford, was in love with Maude Falconer?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
Howard'snounUS /ˈhaʊərdz/
possessive form of “howard” — English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Merciful Heaven! was the man speaking the truth when he said that he, Stafford, was in love with Maude Falconer?
roused to anger
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
Maude
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Merciful Heaven! was the man speaking the truth when he said that he, Stafford, was in love with Maude Falconer?
the force of workers available
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
MercifuladjectiveUS /ˈmɜːrsɪfəl/
showing or giving mercy
From this reading Merciful Heaven! was the man speaking the truth when he said that he, Stafford, was in love with Maude Falconer?
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
mistakingnounUS /mɪˈsteɪkɪŋ/
putting the wrong interpretation on
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
a particular point in time
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
a form of address for a man
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
nowadaysnounUS /ˈnaʊədeɪz/
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
done under pressure
From this reading The colour rushed to his face and his eyes dropped.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Merciful Heaven! was the man speaking the truth when he said that he, Stafford, was in love with Maude Falconer?
shockedadjectiveUS /ʃɑːkt/
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
express in speech
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading Merciful Heaven! was the man speaking the truth when he said that he, Stafford, was in love with Maude Falconer?
Stafford
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
not in physical motion
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
StonehengenounUS /ˈstoʊnhendʒ/
an ancient megalithic monument in southern England; probably used for ritual purposes
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
in or at that place or location
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
a message informing of danger
From this reading But as the moments fled, and the two elder men gazed at him, as if expecting him to speak, he remembered Howard's warning.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That the man was indeed and in truth mad, occurred to him for a moment; then he thought there must be some mistake, that Mr. Falconer had made a blunder in the name, and that it was a case of mistaking his man.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
at the time that
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
in the company of; together with
From this reading We do not, nowadays, strike attitudes, or ejaculate and swear when we are startled or shocked; Stafford stood perfectly still, still as a piece of Stonehenge, and gazed with an expressionless countenance at Mr. Falconer.
