used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
in the past
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
(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 “The owl car’s all right for a job like this,” was the sullen reply.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
a line of approach
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
BURGLARYnounUS /ˈbɜːrɡləri/
entering a building unlawfully with intent to commit a felony or to steal valuable property
From this reading THE FLAT BURGLARY.
cablenounUS /ˈkeɪbəl/
a telegram sent abroad
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
car'snounUS /kɑːrz/
possessive form of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “The owl car’s all right for a job like this,” was the sullen reply.
chophousenoun
a restaurant that specializes in steaks
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading THE FLAT BURGLARY.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “The owl car’s all right for a job like this,” was the sullen reply.
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
imprecations
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “The owl car’s all right for a job like this,” was the sullen reply.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “The owl car’s all right for a job like this,” was the sullen reply.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
mutteringnounUS /ˈmʌtərɪŋ/
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
NixonnounUS /ˈnɪksən/
vice president under Eisenhower and 37th President of the United States; resigned after the Watergate scandal in 1974 (1913-1994)
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
owlnounUS /aʊl/
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading “The owl car’s all right for a job like this,” was the sullen reply.
ParksnounUS /pɑːrks/
United States civil rights leader who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (Alabama) and so triggered the national Civil Rights movement (born in 1913)
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
with speed
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “The owl car’s all right for a job like this,” was the sullen reply.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “The owl car’s all right for a job like this,” was the sullen reply.
a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
ShiveringnounUS /ˈʃɪvərɪŋ/
a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
shouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
sullenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌlən/
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading “The owl car’s all right for a job like this,” was the sullen reply.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FLAT BURGLARY.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “The owl car’s all right for a job like this,” was the sullen reply.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
WabashnounUS /ˈwɔːbæʃ/
a tributary of the Ohio River that rises in western Ohio and flows southwestward across Indiana
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We ought to have been out an hour ago,” muttered the former, “then we shouldn’t have missed the cable.”
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading It was long past midnight, and a slow, winter rain was falling.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Shivering with the cold, and muttering imprecations against the weather, Parks and Nixon left the shelter of the chophouse and walked rapidly toward Wabash Avenue.
