used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
from appearances alone
From this reading The first I inspected were apparently portions of a legal document.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was pale and haggard as that of the victim of the secret tragedy.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
brandynounUS /ˈbrændi/
distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
breathlessadjectiveUS /ˈbreθləs/
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading My eyes caught sight of my own face in the mirror.
chambersnounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbərz/
English architect (1723-1796)
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
cleansedverbUS /klenzd/
past form of “cleanse” — clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
documentnounUS /ˈdɑːkjəment/
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading The first I inspected were apparently portions of a legal document.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
eagernessnounUS /ˈiːɡərnəs/
a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
a movement into or inward
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
examineverbUS /ɪɡˈzæmɪn/
consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
opinion or judgment
From this reading My eyes caught sight of my own face in the mirror.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading My eyes caught sight of my own face in the mirror.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first I inspected were apparently portions of a legal document.
fragmentsnounUS /ˈfræɡmənts/
plural of “fragment” — a piece broken off or cut off of something else
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
gasnounUS /ɡæs/
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
gulpedverbUS /ɡʌlpt/
past form of “gulp” — to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
haggardadjectiveUS /ˈhæɡərd/
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading It was pale and haggard as that of the victim of the secret tragedy.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
Havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My eyes caught sight of my own face in the mirror.
inspectedverbUS /ˌɪnˈspektɪd/
past form of “inspect” — look over carefully
From this reading The first I inspected were apparently portions of a legal document.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was pale and haggard as that of the victim of the secret tragedy.
legaladjectiveUS /ˈliːɡəl/
established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
From this reading The first I inspected were apparently portions of a legal document.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
mirrornounUS /ˈmɪrər/
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading My eyes caught sight of my own face in the mirror.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading It was pale and haggard as that of the victim of the secret tragedy.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
portionsnounUS /ˈpɔːrʃənz/
plural of “portion” — something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The first I inspected were apparently portions of a legal document.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading It was pale and haggard as that of the victim of the secret tragedy.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading My eyes caught sight of my own face in the mirror.
sitting-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
make steady
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
Sternroyd's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
not moving or operating freely
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was pale and haggard as that of the victim of the secret tragedy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading It was pale and haggard as that of the victim of the secret tragedy.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading On arrival at my own chambers I cleansed my hands of Sternroyd's blood, and entering my sitting-room turned up the gas.
an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading It was pale and haggard as that of the victim of the secret tragedy.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was pale and haggard as that of the victim of the secret tragedy.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The first I inspected were apparently portions of a legal document.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Having gulped down a stiff glass of brandy to steady my nerves, I proceeded in breathless eagerness to examine the fragments of private papers which effort had been made to destroy.
