used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They might smell a rat, possibly.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Melodrama?” laughed Lanagan at me.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
cellsnounUS /selz/
plural of “cell” — any small compartment
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
ChinksnounUS /tʃɪŋks/
plural of “chink” — (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Chinese descent
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
Dorrett
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
gamblingnounUS /ˈɡæmbəlɪŋ/
the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
ten 10s
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
isolatedadjectiveUS /ˈaɪsəleɪtəd/
not close together in time
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
Lanagan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Melodrama?” laughed Lanagan at me.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “Melodrama?” laughed Lanagan at me.
Leslie's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Melodrama?” laughed Lanagan at me.
MelodramanounUS /ˈmelədrɑːmə/
an extravagant comedy in which action is more salient than characterization
From this reading “Melodrama?” laughed Lanagan at me.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading They might smell a rat, possibly.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
by chance
From this reading They might smell a rat, possibly.
ratnounUS /ræt/
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading They might smell a rat, possibly.
reportersnounUS /rɪˈpɔːrtərz/
plural of “reporter” — a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading They might smell a rat, possibly.
strayverbUS /streɪ/
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
imagine to be the case or true or probable
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They might smell a rat, possibly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “But I had to come by the back door, as it were.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading We are more isolated among these hundred Chinks, gambling their fool heads off, than we would be in one of Leslie’s dark cells.”
wouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wouldn’t like to have any stray police or reporters or Dorrett suspect I was about to interview the man I am.
