used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication
From this reading His only article of attire was a pair of short trousers.
attirenounUS /əˈtaɪər/
clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
From this reading His only article of attire was a pair of short trousers.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
backwardsadverbUS /ˈbækwərdz/
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
blacknessnounUS /ˈblæknəs/
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading “Well, praise the pigs for that,” said a voice from the blackness of the cupboard.
cakedverbUS /keɪkt/
past form of “cake” — form a coat over
From this reading From his hair to his heels he was caked with dirt.
cupboardnounUS /ˈkʌbərd/
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
dirtnounUS /dɜːrt/
the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
From this reading From his hair to his heels he was caked with dirt.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Well, praise the pigs for that,” said a voice from the blackness of the cupboard.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From his hair to his heels he was caked with dirt.
gaspingverbUS /ˈɡæspɪŋ/
-ing form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading From his hair to his heels he was caked with dirt.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
an opening into or through something
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
Jim
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
immediately past
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
Linton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
loadnounUS /loʊd/
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
and nothing more
From this reading His only article of attire was a pair of short trousers.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading His only article of attire was a pair of short trousers.
pigsnounUS /pɪɡz/
plural of “pig” — domestic swine
From this reading “Well, praise the pigs for that,” said a voice from the blackness of the cupboard.
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading “Well, praise the pigs for that,” said a voice from the blackness of the cupboard.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading His only article of attire was a pair of short trousers.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Well, praise the pigs for that,” said a voice from the blackness of the cupboard.
that's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading THROUGH THE DARKNESS “I think that’s the last load,” Jim Linton said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From his hair to his heels he was caked with dirt.
trousersnounUS /ˈtraʊzərz/
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading His only article of attire was a pair of short trousers.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Well, praise the pigs for that,” said a voice from the blackness of the cupboard.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His only article of attire was a pair of short trousers.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, praise the pigs for that,” said a voice from the blackness of the cupboard.
in the company of; together with
From this reading From his hair to his heels he was caked with dirt.
wriggled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had wriggled backwards out of a black hole in the side of a black cupboard; and now sat back on his heels, gasping.
