1
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
consider or hold as true
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There must have been some strong motive for the killing of his partner.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
a series of things depending on each other as if linked together
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
cliffsnounUS /klɪfs/
plural of “cliff” — a steep high face of rock
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
DaltonnounUS /ˈdɔːltən/
English chemist and physicist who formulated atomic theory and the law of partial pressures; gave the first description of red-green color blindness (1766-1844)
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
Dalton'snounUS /ˈdɔːltənz/
possessive form of “dalton” — English chemist and physicist who formulated atomic theory and the law of partial pressures; gave the first description of red-green color blindness (1766-1844)
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
true confidential information
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
Farley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There must have been some strong motive for the killing of his partner.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
guiltnounUS /ɡɪlt/
the state of having committed an offense
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
innocencenounUS /ˈɪnəsəns/
the quality of innocent naivete
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
“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 If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
killingnounUS /ˈkɪlɪŋ/
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading There must have been some strong motive for the killing of his partner.
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
logicaladjectiveUS /ˈlɑːdʒɪkəl/
capable of or reflecting the capability for correct and valid reasoning
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
motivenounUS /ˈmoʊtɪv/
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading There must have been some strong motive for the killing of his partner.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading There must have been some strong motive for the killing of his partner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
partnernounUS /ˈpɑːrtnər/
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading There must have been some strong motive for the killing of his partner.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
scantyadjectiveUS /ˈskænti/
lacking in magnitude or quantity
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading There must have been some strong motive for the killing of his partner.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
that is looked for
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading There must have been some strong motive for the killing of his partner.
stroveverbUS /stroʊv/
inflected form of “strive” — attempt by employing effort
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There must have been some strong motive for the killing of his partner.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
a special situation
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading As he drew slowly away from the cabin and toward the cliffs which fell away to the lake, he arranged in mind these things in a sort of logical order:
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
Watson'snounUS /ˈwɑːtsənz/
possessive form of “watson” — United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading If Dalton’s knife driven by Dalton’s powerful hand had caused Johnny Watson’s death, what motive could have moved Dalton to the act?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Out of the few scanty details which seemed to him to have any bearing upon the thing he sought to know, Dick Farley strove to piece together a chain of evidence which his brain could accept as pointing to the guilt or to the innocence of James Dalton.
