used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
apathynounUS /ˈæpəθi/
an absence of emotion or enthusiasm
From this reading But he too was sunk in unutterable apathy.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
beaknounUS /biːk/
beaklike mouth of animals other than birds (e.g., turtles)
From this reading He had a long, sharp, dangerous beak.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
boughnounUS /baʊ/
any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
bunchnounUS /bʌntʃ/
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he too was sunk in unutterable apathy.
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading He had a long, sharp, dangerous beak.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
fluffyadjectiveUS /ˈflʌfi/
like down or as soft as down
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
frillnounUS /frɪl/
(paleontology) a bony plate that curves upward behind the skull of many ceratopsian dinosaurs
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had a long, sharp, dangerous beak.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had a long, sharp, dangerous beak.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
hunchedadjectiveUS /hʌntʃt/
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But he too was sunk in unutterable apathy.
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
and nothing more
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
kukooburra
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A kukooburra!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading He had a long, sharp, dangerous beak.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
obliviousadjectiveUS /əˈblɪviəs/
(followed by “to” or “of”) lacking conscious awareness of
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
owlnounUS /aʊl/
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
ragnounUS /ræɡ/
a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading He had a long, sharp, dangerous beak.
shuffledverbUS /ˈʃʌfəld/
past form of “shuffle” — walk by dragging one's feet
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
Somers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
sunkadjectiveUS /sʌŋk/
doomed to extinction
From this reading But he too was sunk in unutterable apathy.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But he too was sunk in unutterable apathy.
the upper part of anything
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
unutterableadjective
too sacred to be uttered
From this reading But he too was sunk in unutterable apathy.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But he too was sunk in unutterable apathy.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading Some instinct made him know that Somers was watching, so he just shuffled round on the bough and sat with his back to the man, and became utterly oblivious.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading A queer bird sat hunched on a bough a few yards away, just below; a bird like a bunch of old rag, with a small rag of a dark tail, and a fluffy pale top like an owl, and a sort of frill round his neck.
