(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Already the first snows had come.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
completely unclothed
From this reading The trees were bare and creaked in the wind, and the skies were lead-colored and cold.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
BridgetownnounUS /ˈbrɪdʒtaʊn/
capital of Barbados; a port city on the southwestern coast of Barbados
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
chillnounUS /tʃɪl/
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading The evenings were getting chill.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
claw-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The trees were bare and creaked in the wind, and the skies were lead-colored and cold.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Already the first snows had come.
creakedverbUS /kriːkt/
past form of “creak” — make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading The trees were bare and creaked in the wind, and the skies were lead-colored and cold.
dusknounUS /dʌsk/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
elbowsnounUS /ˈelboʊz/
plural of “elbow” — hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
eveningsnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋz/
plural of “evening” — the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The evenings were getting chill.
at any time
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
fireplacenounUS /ˈfaɪərpleɪs/
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Already the first snows had come.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading The evenings were getting chill.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
grayeradjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪər/
comparative of “gray” — of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Already the first snows had come.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The trees were bare and creaked in the wind, and the skies were lead-colored and cold.
lead-coloredadjective
having the color of lead
From this reading The trees were bare and creaked in the wind, and the skies were lead-colored and cold.
lonelier
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
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 Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
shacksnounUS /ʃæks/
plural of “shack” — small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
skiesnounUS /skaɪz/
plural of “sky” — the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The trees were bare and creaked in the wind, and the skies were lead-colored and cold.
Smythe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
snowsnounUS /snoʊz/
plural of “snow” — precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Already the first snows had come.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
arousing affect
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The trees were bare and creaked in the wind, and the skies were lead-colored and cold.
two-dozen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the early dusk the two-dozen gray shacks of Bridgetown looked grayer and lonelier than ever.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The evenings were getting chill.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The trees were bare and creaked in the wind, and the skies were lead-colored and cold.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mr. Smythe stood with, his back to the fireplace, his long arms behind his back, with sharp elbows almost touching, and claw-like hands clasped together.
