Chapter VII · The Lightning Flash

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

forsaken by owner or inhabitants

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

anew

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

on or to one side

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

superlative of “bare” — completely unclothed

From this reading For the barest second Haddon stood listening.

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

at or toward the back of something

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading “—a rabbit, I guess, or maybe a bird,” said a voice.

of short duration or distance

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

provide with a covering or cause to be covered

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

-ing form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For the barest second Haddon stood listening.

excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading “—a rabbit, I guess, or maybe a bird,” said a voice.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading For the barest second Haddon stood listening.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “—a rabbit, I guess, or maybe a bird,” said a voice.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

any of various aromatic trees of the laurel family

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

the act of hearing attentively

From this reading For the barest second Haddon stood listening.

of plants that grow relatively low to the ground

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

by chance

From this reading “—a rabbit, I guess, or maybe a bird,” said a voice.

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading “—a rabbit, I guess, or maybe a bird,” said a voice.

any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food

From this reading “—a rabbit, I guess, or maybe a bird,” said a voice.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “—a rabbit, I guess, or maybe a bird,” said a voice.

-ing form of “scramble” — to move hurriedly

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

-ing form of “scuffle” — walk by dragging one's feet

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading For the barest second Haddon stood listening.

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

the unlimited expanse in which everything is located

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

at a steady rate or pace

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading For the barest second Haddon stood listening.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading For the barest second Haddon stood listening.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

push forcefully

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.

plural of “tin” — a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Then he bent down again and made a frantic, scrambling effort to cover the tins.

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading “—a rabbit, I guess, or maybe a bird,” said a voice.

plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading But as the voices came steadily nearer and the scuffling of feet began to sound in the dead leaves, he abandoned the attempt and darting a few steps to one side flung himself down behind a thick, low-growing mass of laurel.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading In a space so brief that he felt they must have heard him, the bushes were thrust aside and the footsteps ceased.