used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And slowly there came a frown into his eyes, and then a look of pain.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Where it ran from the ridges across the creek he found tracks.
anew
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He drank first and then studied them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
boot-heels
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading Where it ran from the ridges across the creek he found tracks.
Devil'snounUS /ˈdevəlz/
possessive form of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
someone who is a detective
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
inflected form of “drink” — take in liquids
From this reading He drank first and then studied them.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
opinion or judgment
From this reading And slowly there came a frown into his eyes, and then a look of pain.
Farley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He drank first and then studied them.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
foreseenverbUS /ˌfɔːrˈsiːn/
inflected form of “foresee” — realize beforehand
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
set up or found
From this reading Where it ran from the ridges across the creek he found tracks.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Where it ran from the ridges across the creek he found tracks.
frownverbUS /fraʊn/
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading And slowly there came a frown into his eyes, and then a look of pain.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And slowly there came a frown into his eyes, and then a look of pain.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading And slowly there came a frown into his eyes, and then a look of pain.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Where it ran from the ridges across the creek he found tracks.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading And slowly there came a frown into his eyes, and then a look of pain.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading And slowly there came a frown into his eyes, and then a look of pain.
partnernounUS /ˈpɑːrtnər/
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Where it ran from the ridges across the creek he found tracks.
ridgesnounUS /ˈrɪdʒəz/
plural of “ridge” — a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading Where it ran from the ridges across the creek he found tracks.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading And slowly there came a frown into his eyes, and then a look of pain.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
the state of being covered with unclean things
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading He drank first and then studied them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He drank first and then studied them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He drank first and then studied them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And slowly there came a frown into his eyes, and then a look of pain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
tracksnounUS /træks/
plural of “track” — a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading Where it ran from the ridges across the creek he found tracks.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading ON THE floor of the Devil’s Pocket Dick Farley came upon the trail again as he had foreseen.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
WatsonnounUS /ˈwɑːtsən/
United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
at the time that
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where it ran from the ridges across the creek he found tracks.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading For there were the tracks of one horse, and of a man’s boot-heels in the soft wet soil—tracks a month old, the tracks which Johnny Watson had left when he drew out of the valley to find his partner.
