Chapter X · A Singular Episode in Our Quiet Life

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A few words will suffice.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

present in great quantity

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

United States lawyer and politician who advocated free silver and prosecuted John Scopes (1925) for teaching evolution in a Tennessee high school (1860-1925)

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

plural of “cavern” — any large dark enclosed space

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes

From this reading He wore no hair on his face, his cheeks were furrowed, and his features were large and well formed.

in a manner tending to attract attention

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

power to direct or determine

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

a place off to the side of an area

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

represented in words especially with sharpness and detail

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

opinion or judgment

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading He wore no hair on his face, his cheeks were furrowed, and his features were large and well formed.

plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something

From this reading He wore no hair on his face, his cheeks were furrowed, and his features were large and well formed.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading A few words will suffice.

the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

having or given a form or shape

From this reading He wore no hair on his face, his cheeks were furrowed, and his features were large and well formed.

having long narrow shallow depressions (as grooves or wrinkles) in the surface

From this reading He wore no hair on his face, his cheeks were furrowed, and his features were large and well formed.

-ing form of “guard” — to keep watch over

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He wore no hair on his face, his cheeks were furrowed, and his features were large and well formed.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

the color of freshly broken cast iron

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

conformity or harmony

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading He wore no hair on his face, his cheeks were furrowed, and his features were large and well formed.

plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

past form of “lurk” — lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

understood perfectly

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

used to form the superlative

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

easily agitated

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

not any; not one

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

something you have to do

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

covering with a design in which one element covers a part of another (as with tiles or shingles)

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

a geometric element that has position but no extension

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

possession of controlling influence

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

refrain from harming

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

with strength or in a strong manner

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity

From this reading A few words will suffice.

extreme excess

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

a sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous condition

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading At this point I am reminded that I have not described uncle Bryan.

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading He possessed the power of keeping himself perfectly under control; but on rare occasions, a nervous twitching of his lips in one corner of his mouth mastered him.

look attentively

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading He wore no hair on his face, his cheeks were furrowed, and his features were large and well formed.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading A few words will suffice.

in the company of; together with

From this reading A tall spare man, strongly built, with no superfluity of flesh about him; iron-gray hair, thick and abundant; eyebrows overlapping most conspicuously, guarding his eyes, as it were, which lurked in their caverns, as animals might in their lairs, on the watch.

the words that are spoken

From this reading A few words will suffice.

inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in

From this reading He wore no hair on his face, his cheeks were furrowed, and his features were large and well formed.