used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
amazedadjectiveUS /əˈmeɪzd/
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
applenounUS /ˈæpəl/
fruit with red or yellow or green skin and sweet to tart crisp whitish flesh
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Yes or no, please; quick!" he fired the next volley as I stood speechless.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading For once he outflanked me, caught me completely off my guard!
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading For once he outflanked me, caught me completely off my guard!
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
greatly pleased
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
the organ of sight
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
firedadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪərd/
having lost your job
From this reading "Yes or no, please; quick!" he fired the next volley as I stood speechless.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For once he outflanked me, caught me completely off my guard!
Gessler
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
gleamverbUS /ɡliːm/
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading For once he outflanked me, caught me completely off my guard!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For once he outflanked me, caught me completely off my guard!
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
impishadjectiveUS /ˈɪmpɪʃ/
naughtily or annoyingly playful
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
JuliannounUS /ˈdʒuːliən/
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For once he outflanked me, caught me completely off my guard!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "Yes or no, please; quick!" he fired the next volley as I stood speechless.
not any; not one
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
on one occasion
From this reading For once he outflanked me, caught me completely off my guard!
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Yes or no, please; quick!" he fired the next volley as I stood speechless.
outflankedverbUS /aʊtˈflæŋkt/
past form of “outflank” — go around the flank of (an opposing army)
From this reading For once he outflanked me, caught me completely off my guard!
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Yes or no, please; quick!" he fired the next volley as I stood speechless.
poppedverbUS /pɑːpt/
inflected form of “pop” — bulge outward
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading "Yes or no, please; quick!" he fired the next volley as I stood speechless.
cut with a saw
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
a male human offspring
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
speechlessadjectiveUS /ˈspiːtʃləs/
temporarily incapable of speaking
From this reading "Yes or no, please; quick!" he fired the next volley as I stood speechless.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading "Yes or no, please; quick!" he fired the next volley as I stood speechless.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
express in words
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
thereupon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
the upper part of anything
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
volleynounUS /ˈvɑːli/
rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
From this reading "Yes or no, please; quick!" he fired the next volley as I stood speechless.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
William
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If Julian had suddenly popped down an apple on the top of my head, _a la_ Gessler and the son of William Tell, and thereupon proceeded to shoot it off, I could have been no more amazed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I saw by the impish gleam in his eye how delighted he was with himself.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes or no, please; quick!" he fired the next volley as I stood speechless.
