Chapter XXIII · The Messenger with Good News

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

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

something done (usually as opposed to something said)

From this reading He was a man of extraordinary sense, as well as a man of action.

(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 All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

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

From this reading He was a man of extraordinary sense, as well as a man of action.

marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

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

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

past form of “communicate” — transmit information

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

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

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

lively and spirited

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions

From this reading It dawned upon the detective.

a police officer who investigates crimes

From this reading It dawned upon the detective.

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

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable

From this reading He was a man of extraordinary sense, as well as a man of action.

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

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

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

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

intense and profound fear

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

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

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

free from evil or guilt

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

in place of, or as an alternative to

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It dawned upon the detective.

(anatomy) the point of connection between two bones or elements of a skeleton (especially if it allows motion)

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

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

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

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

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

most important element

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

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

From this reading He was a man of extraordinary sense, as well as a man of action.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

strongly marked; easily noticeable

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

an addictive narcotic extracted from seed capsules of the opium poppy

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

inflected form of “petrify” — cause to become stonelike or stiff or dazed and stunned from fright

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

a geometric element that has position but no extension

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

a town in central Arizona

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

cut with a saw

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

a general conscious awareness

From this reading He was a man of extraordinary sense, as well as a man of action.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

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

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

in or at that place or location

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading It dawned upon the detective.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading All along there had been a great mistake—many things remained to be explained away, but the one main point was assured—Lillian must be innocent of the charge.

(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 was a man of extraordinary sense, as well as a man of action.

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried

From this reading Instead of Lillian’s sweet face, marked by horror, he saw that of the dashing widow, Mrs. Collingwood, she with whom Prescott had communicated in the opium joint.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Eric Darrell might have been frozen—he seemed so petrified with surprise.