used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
alienadjectiveUS /ˈeɪliən/
not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
Andy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Valerie and Peggy and Uncle Andy dropped to the floor, unconscious.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
blockingnounUS /ˈblɑːkɪŋ/
the act of obstructing or deflecting someone's movements
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
power to direct or determine
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading But Valerie and Peggy and Uncle Andy dropped to the floor, unconscious.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The alien rose slowly to his feet, and Henry turned, instinctively, to get the gun that Uncle Andy had dropped.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading But Valerie and Peggy and Uncle Andy dropped to the floor, unconscious.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The alien rose slowly to his feet, and Henry turned, instinctively, to get the gun that Uncle Andy had dropped.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading The alien rose slowly to his feet, and Henry turned, instinctively, to get the gun that Uncle Andy had dropped.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The alien rose slowly to his feet, and Henry turned, instinctively, to get the gun that Uncle Andy had dropped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
instinctivelyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈstɪŋktɪvliː/
as a matter of instinct
From this reading The alien rose slowly to his feet, and Henry turned, instinctively, to get the gun that Uncle Andy had dropped.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
leveledverbUS /ˈlevəld/
past form of “level” — aim at
From this reading Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
Martia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
panelnounUS /ˈpænəl/
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
Peggy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Valerie and Peggy and Uncle Andy dropped to the floor, unconscious.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The alien rose slowly to his feet, and Henry turned, instinctively, to get the gun that Uncle Andy had dropped.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
ScarfacenounUS /ˈskɑːrfeɪs/
United States gangster who terrorized Chicago during prohibition until arrested for tax evasion (1899-1947)
From this reading Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
the display of a motion picture
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The alien rose slowly to his feet, and Henry turned, instinctively, to get the gun that Uncle Andy had dropped.
smilinglyadverbUS /ˈsmaɪlɪŋli/
with smiles; in a smiling manner
From this reading Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
stiffenedverbUS /ˈstɪfənd/
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
swayedverbUS /sweɪd/
past form of “sway” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
telepathicadjectiveUS /ˌteləˈpæθək/
communicating without apparent physical signals
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
tendrils
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Martia swayed, but Henry stood his ground, blocking that telepathic signal and showing Martia how to do it at the same time.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The alien rose slowly to his feet, and Henry turned, instinctively, to get the gun that Uncle Andy had dropped.
twirledverbUS /twɜːrld/
past form of “twirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading But Valerie and Peggy and Uncle Andy dropped to the floor, unconscious.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading But Valerie and Peggy and Uncle Andy dropped to the floor, unconscious.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
Valerie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Valerie and Peggy and Uncle Andy dropped to the floor, unconscious.
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
(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 Then he and Martia, as well as the alien, stiffened in surprise as Scarface smilingly picked up the gun and leveled it.
wristnounUS /rɪst/
a joint between the distal end of the radius and the proximal row of carpal bones
From this reading As the alien stirred, one of the tendrils on his wrist twirled a control on the panel at his waist.
