used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SAFE DISGRACE.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
alleynounUS /ˈæli/
a narrow street with walls on both sides
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
ciphernounUS /ˈsaɪ.fər/
A secret or disguised way of writing; a code used to conceal ancient secrets.
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
curtainlessadjective
not provided with curtains
From this reading Owing to the darkness within the room George could now see out of the curtainless window.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Owing to the darkness within the room George could now see out of the curtainless window.
DISGRACEverbUS /dɪsˈɡreɪs/
bring shame or dishonor upon
From this reading A SAFE DISGRACE.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
set up or found
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
immediately past
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
latchverbUS /lætʃ/
fasten with a latch
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
miniaturenounUS /ˈmɪniətʃʊr/
painting or drawing included in a book (especially in illuminated medieval manuscripts)
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no one on the roof!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Owing to the darkness within the room George could now see out of the curtainless window.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Owing to the darkness within the room George could now see out of the curtainless window.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was no one on the roof!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was no one on the roof!
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
OwingadjectiveUS /ˈoʊɪŋ/
owed as a debt
From this reading Owing to the darkness within the room George could now see out of the curtainless window.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading There was no one on the roof!
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Owing to the darkness within the room George could now see out of the curtainless window.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading A SAFE DISGRACE.
scratchingnounUS /ˈskrætʃɪŋ/
a harsh noise made by scraping
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Owing to the darkness within the room George could now see out of the curtainless window.
sleepilyadverbUS /ˈsliːpəli/
in a sleepy manner
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
slidverbUS /slɪd/
inflected form of “slide” — move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
slippingadjectiveUS /ˈslɪpɪŋ/
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
stumbledverbUS /ˈstʌmbəld/
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
carry out
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
tarryverbUS /ˈteri/
be about
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no one on the roof!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Owing to the darkness within the room George could now see out of the curtainless window.
having come into contact
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
in or at the place that
From this reading However, he could not tarry where he was; he must take the risk; and slipping the miniature and cipher into his pocket, he opened the window and slid over the wall to the alley.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Owing to the darkness within the room George could now see out of the curtainless window.
in the company of; together with
From this reading George was so near that the heavy man could have touched him with his hand, but after scratching about the door, he found the latch at last, and stumbled sleepily out into the hall.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Owing to the darkness within the room George could now see out of the curtainless window.
