used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading Now with perspective gone, he felt uncertain and vaguely alarmed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
BLASTverbUS /blæst/
make a strident sound
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
conspicuousadjectiveUS /kənˈspɪkjuːəs/
obvious to the eye or mind
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
depressingadjectiveUS /dɪˈpresɪŋ/
causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
farmhousenounUS /ˈfɑːrmhaʊs/
house for a farmer and family
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Now with perspective gone, he felt uncertain and vaguely alarmed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Now with perspective gone, he felt uncertain and vaguely alarmed.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had walked into his picture.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had walked into his picture.
he'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had walked into his picture.
HORNnounUS /hɔːrn/
a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
imaginativeadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈmædʒənətɪv/
(used of persons or artifacts) marked by independence and creativity in thought or action
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He had walked into his picture.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
Kenny
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
the middle of the day
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now with perspective gone, he felt uncertain and vaguely alarmed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
perspectivenounUS /pərˈspektɪv/
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading Now with perspective gone, he felt uncertain and vaguely alarmed.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading He had walked into his picture.
preposterousadjectiveUS /prɪˈpɑːstərəs/
so unreasonable as to invite derision
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
questnounUS /kwest/
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
uncertainadjectiveUS /ənˈsɜːrtən/
lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
From this reading Now with perspective gone, he felt uncertain and vaguely alarmed.
vaguelyadverbUS /ˈveɪɡli/
in a vague way
From this reading Now with perspective gone, he felt uncertain and vaguely alarmed.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He had walked into his picture.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AT THE BLAST OF A HORN The village was old and depressing.
(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 Well, any quest that led to an inn like this, he felt, must in itself be preposterous.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Now with perspective gone, he felt uncertain and vaguely alarmed.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading Kenny, a conspicuous guest at the one hotel, awoke at noon to less imaginative interest in the wood, the farmhouse and the river than he'd known for days.
