used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading The bird gave a gulp, and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and down into its crop.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
barredadjectiveUS /bɑːrd/
preventing entry or exit or a course of action
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading The bird gave a gulp, and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and down into its crop.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
cropnounUS /krɑːp/
the yield from plants in a single growing season
From this reading The bird gave a gulp, and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and down into its crop.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading The bird gave a gulp, and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and down into its crop.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The bird gave a gulp, and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and down into its crop.
geesenounUS /ɡiːs/
plural of “goose” — web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
goosenounUS /ɡuːs/
web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn.
gulletnounUS /ˈɡʌlət/
the passage between the pharynx and the stomach
From this reading The bird gave a gulp, and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and down into its crop.
gulpverbUS /ɡʌlp/
to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading The bird gave a gulp, and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and down into its crop.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The bird gave a gulp, and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and down into its crop.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
Kilburn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
go across or through
From this reading The bird gave a gulp, and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and down into its crop.
select carefully from a group
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
pryingnounUS /ˈpraɪɪŋ/
offensive inquisitiveness
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
get rid of
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
carry out
From this reading I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
push forcefully
From this reading I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
a Caucasian
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading “My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds—a fine big one, white, with a barred tail.
