used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
abri
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading But we had some wire-netting of our own that was around the chicken-yard."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
bedsnounUS /bedz/
plural of “bed” — a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading "I can make beds for you," he said.
BochesnounUS /ˈbɑːtʃɪz/
plural of “boche” — offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But we had some wire-netting of our own that was around the chicken-yard."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I can make beds for you," he said.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
chicken-house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
chicken-yard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But we had some wire-netting of our own that was around the chicken-yard."
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
dirtyadjectiveUS /ˈdɜːrti/
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
door-jambs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
divisible by two
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I can make beds for you," he said.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But we had some wire-netting of our own that was around the chicken-yard."
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I can make beds for you," he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can make beds for you," he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
immediately past
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
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 "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
staying power
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
engage in
From this reading "I can make beds for you," he said.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
not any; not one
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading But we had some wire-netting of our own that was around the chicken-yard."
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading But we had some wire-netting of our own that was around the chicken-yard."
priedverbUS /praɪd/
inflected form of “pry” — to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I can make beds for you," he said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
in or at or to some place
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
make square
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
stretchverbUS /stretʃ/
occupy a large, elongated area
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
they'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
a special situation
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
trenchesnounUS /ˈtrentʃɪz/
plural of “trench” — a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But we had some wire-netting of our own that was around the chicken-yard."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading But we had some wire-netting of our own that was around the chicken-yard."
window-cases
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
wire-netting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There must be trenches somewhere, near,"--she nodded,--"they'll have left some wire-netting in an _abri_.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading You make a square of wood, and put four legs to it, and stretch the wire-netting over it and put straw on that.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
wouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, they took that," she explained,--"that, and the doors of the chicken-house, and they pried off our window-cases and door-jambs and carried those off the last days, too ... but there was one thing they wouldn't do, no, not even the Boches, and that was _this_ dirty work!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I can make beds for you," he said.
