used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
(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 The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He looked around, and spied a light shawl lying unheeded upon the ground.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
a youthful male person
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
dartedverbUS /ˈdɑːrtɪd/
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
escapesnounUS /ɪˈskeɪps/
plural of “escape” — the act of escaping physically
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
the organ of sight
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading He looked around, and spied a light shawl lying unheeded upon the ground.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
hair-breadth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked around, and spied a light shawl lying unheeded upon the ground.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He snatched it up, tried its strength, and shook his head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He snatched it up, tried its strength, and shook his head.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He snatched it up, tried its strength, and shook his head.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading He looked around, and spied a light shawl lying unheeded upon the ground.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked around, and spied a light shawl lying unheeded upon the ground.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading He looked around, and spied a light shawl lying unheeded upon the ground.
Maggie's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
make-shifts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
risenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪzən/
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
move hurridly
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
cut with a saw
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
shawlnounUS /ʃɔːl/
cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders
From this reading He looked around, and spied a light shawl lying unheeded upon the ground.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading He snatched it up, tried its strength, and shook his head.
snatchedverbUS /snætʃt/
past form of “snatch” — to grasp hastily or eagerly
From this reading He snatched it up, tried its strength, and shook his head.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
spiedverbUS /spaɪd/
inflected form of “spy” — catch sight of
From this reading He looked around, and spied a light shawl lying unheeded upon the ground.
splitverbUS /splɪt/
separate into parts or portions
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading He snatched it up, tried its strength, and shook his head.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
taintnounUS /teɪnt/
the state of being contaminated
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The children and Mrs. Rush had risen, and were listening; and now a quick thought darted into Maggie's mind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading He snatched it up, tried its strength, and shook his head.
Twon't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
unheededadjectiveUS /ənˈhiːdɪd/
disregarded
From this reading He looked around, and spied a light shawl lying unheeded upon the ground.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He snatched it up, tried its strength, and shook his head.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He looked around, and spied a light shawl lying unheeded upon the ground.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "'Twon't do," he said, "'taint long enough so; and, if we split it, 'twon't be strong enough."
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The quick eye of the boy, used to all manner of make-shifts and hair-breadth escapes, had taken it all in, and saw a way of safety, if the means were but at hand.
