used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To the right of him was a narrow window.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
barredadjectiveUS /bɑːrd/
preventing entry or exit or a course of action
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Through that window, a dizzy depth below, lay the city.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Between the squares criss-crossed the narrow black streets.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Between the squares criss-crossed the narrow black streets.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
CarsonnounUS /ˈkɑːrsən/
United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
checker-board
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Its square, flat roofs formed a mammoth checker-board.
ChicagonounUS /ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Through that window, a dizzy depth below, lay the city.
ConounUS /koʊ/
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
criss-crossed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Between the squares criss-crossed the narrow black streets.
Curlie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
depthnounUS /depθ/
the extent downward or backward or inward
From this reading Through that window, a dizzy depth below, lay the city.
dizzyadjectiveUS /ˈdɪzi/
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading Through that window, a dizzy depth below, lay the city.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading Its square, flat roofs formed a mammoth checker-board.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading Its square, flat roofs formed a mammoth checker-board.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To the right of him was a narrow window.
instrumentsnounUS /ˈɪnstrəmənts/
plural of “instrument” — a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its square, flat roofs formed a mammoth checker-board.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Through that window, a dizzy depth below, lay the city.
LeenounUS /liː/
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
mammothadjectiveUS /ˈmæməθ/
so exceedingly large or extensive as to suggest a giant or mammoth
From this reading Its square, flat roofs formed a mammoth checker-board.
mysterious-looking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading To the right of him was a narrow window.
numberlessadjective
too numerous to be counted
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To the right of him was a narrow window.
Reilly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
precisely, exactly
From this reading To the right of him was a narrow window.
roofsnounUS /ruːfs/
plural of “roof” — a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading Its square, flat roofs formed a mammoth checker-board.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
make square
From this reading Its square, flat roofs formed a mammoth checker-board.
squaresnounUS /skwerz/
plural of “square” — (geometry) a plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles; a four-sided regular polygon
From this reading Between the squares criss-crossed the narrow black streets.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Between the squares criss-crossed the narrow black streets.
confined on all sides
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Through that window, a dizzy depth below, lay the city.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Behind locked and barred doors, surrounded by numberless mysterious-looking instruments, sat Curlie Carson.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Through that window, a dizzy depth below, lay the city.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To the right of him was a narrow window.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To the right of him was a narrow window.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading To the right of him was a narrow window.
