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Cutlass and Cudgel
Cutlass and Cudgel

Chapter V

Cover illustration for Cutlass and Cudgel
Context Illustration Reading 1/85 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Try?
No," said the farmer savagely.
"Wish I had some of them here!"
There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.
He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Cutlass and Cudgel

Chapter V

Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Try?
Line 2
No," said the farmer savagely.
Line 3
"Wish I had some of them here!"
Line 4
There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.
Line 5
He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

Course noun US /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

Drew noun US /drew/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

Forward noun US /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

Here noun US /here/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"Wish I had some of them here!"”

Next noun US /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

Thinking noun US /thinking/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

Till preposition US /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

Towards preposition US /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading “There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.”

All words in this reading · 79

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

Archy

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

back

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

bars

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

contact

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

coursenounUS /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

cry

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

darkness

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

down

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

drewnounUS /drew/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

faint

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

farmer

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

From this reading No," said the farmer savagely.

fled

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

forwardnounUS /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

gazing

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "Wish I had some of them here!"

hand

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

head

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

heard

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

herenounUS /here/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "Wish I had some of them here!"

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "Wish I had some of them here!"

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

iron

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

leaned

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

leaped

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

listening

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

nextnounUS /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading No," said the farmer savagely.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Wish I had some of them here!"

once

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

out

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

pain

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

protected

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

put

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

retiring

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

said

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

From this reading No," said the farmer savagely.

savagely

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

From this reading No," said the farmer savagely.

some

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

From this reading "Wish I had some of them here!"

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

sound

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

stepped

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

steps

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading No," said the farmer savagely.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading "Wish I had some of them here!"

then

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

There

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

thick

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

thinkingnounUS /thinking/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

Try

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

From this reading "Try?

up

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

utter

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

window

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

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.

Wish

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

From this reading "Wish I had some of them here!"

wishing

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

From this reading He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped down, and fled at once.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was protected by thick iron bars.