used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
move forward, also in the metaphorical sense
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
a proposal for an appropriate course of action
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
at or in the front
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
(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 snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
terminate
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
breaksnounUS /breɪks/
plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
Chrisoffsky
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
disastrousadjectiveUS /dɪˈzæstrəs/
(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
DRIFTSnounUS /drɪfts/
plural of “drift” — a force that moves something along
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading This meant serious work for our teams.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
coins made of gold
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
gravesnounUS /ɡreɪvz/
English writer known for his interest in mythology and in the classics (1895-1985)
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
hiredadjectiveUS /ˈhaɪərd/
having services engaged for a fee
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
hummocks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading This meant serious work for our teams.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
narties
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
and nothing more
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading This meant serious work for our teams.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
polkanounUS /ˈpoʊlkɑː/
music performed for dancing the polka
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
ProspectingverbUS /ˌprɔːˈspektɪŋ/
-ing form of “prospect” — search for something desirable
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
reindeernounUS /ˈreɪndɪr/
Arctic deer with large antlers in both sexes; called “reindeer” in Eurasia and “caribou” in North America
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
resultsnounUS /rɪˈzʌlts/
plural of “result” — a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
cut with a saw
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading This meant serious work for our teams.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
Sledging
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
slidenounUS /slaɪd/
a small flat rectangular piece of glass on which specimens can be mounted for microscopic study
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
snow-coveredadjective
covered with snow
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
Stanovoi
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
teamsnounUS /tiːmz/
plural of “team” — a cooperative unit (especially in sports)
From this reading This meant serious work for our teams.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This meant serious work for our teams.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
tracesnounUS /ˈtreɪsəz/
plural of “trace” — a just detectable amount
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading At the advice of Chrisoffsky I hired two reindeer narties to go ahead and break the trail, but they had to keep a mile in advance, out of sight of our dogs.
unbrokenadjectiveUS /ənˈbroʊkən/
marked by continuous or uninterrupted extension in space or time or sequence
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
at the time that
From this reading The snow had been falling all night, and when we came out in the morning, we saw only a lot of little snow hummocks, like baby graves in the snow.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The next morning we had before us ten miles of forest in which the snow lay four feet deep, and the trail was unbroken.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THROUGH THE DRIFTS Sledging over snow four feet deep--Making a camp in the snow--Finding traces of gold--A grand slide down a snow-covered hill--My polka breaks with disastrous results--Prospecting over the Stanovoi range.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading This meant serious work for our teams.
