used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
absurditynounUS /əbˈsɜːrdəti/
a message whose content is at variance with reason
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Astronomers were asses, all of them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
any thing at all
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
assesnounUS /ˈæsəz/
plural of “ass” — the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading Astronomers were asses, all of them.
AstronomersnounUS /əˈstrɑːnəmərz/
plural of “astronomer” — a physicist who studies astronomy
From this reading Astronomers were asses, all of them.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
blotchnounUS /blɑːttʃ/
an irregularly shaped spot
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
travel across or pass over
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
crossesnounUS /ˈkrɔːsɪz/
plural of “cross” — a wooden structure consisting of an upright post with a transverse piece
From this reading Heaps of other stars that did make crosses—neat and obvious ones.
detectverbUS /dɪˈtekt/
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Heaps of other stars that did make crosses—neat and obvious ones.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The sky was full of crosses, for that matter.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
HeapsnounUS /hiːps/
a large number or amount
From this reading Heaps of other stars that did make crosses—neat and obvious ones.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
engage in
From this reading Heaps of other stars that did make crosses—neat and obvious ones.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading The sky was full of crosses, for that matter.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
mistyadjectiveUS /ˈmɪsti/
filled or abounding with fog or mist
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
neatadjectiveUS /niːt/
clean or organized
From this reading Heaps of other stars that did make crosses—neat and obvious ones.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
obviousadjectiveUS /ˈɑːbviəs/
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading Heaps of other stars that did make crosses—neat and obvious ones.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Heaps of other stars that did make crosses—neat and obvious ones.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Heaps of other stars that did make crosses—neat and obvious ones.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
tearfuladjectiveUS /ˈtɪrfəl/
filled with or marked by tears
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Astronomers were asses, all of them.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
migratory
From this reading He could not hold his thoughts from wandering to it and the absurdity of calling a mere blotch like that a cross.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Astronomers were asses, all of them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
a Caucasian
From this reading The sky was full of stars, white and soft and misty, like tearful eyes, and the Southern Cross, in which he had never been able to detect anything like a cross, rode high.
