used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
aimlesslyadverbUS /ˈeɪmləsli/
without aim; in an aimless manner
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
can't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
chancing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
curlsnounUS /kɜːrlz/
plural of “curl” — a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
Evelyn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
focusedadjectiveUS /ˈfoʊkəst/
being in focus or brought into focus
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
happeningnounUS /ˈhæpənɪŋ/
an event that happens
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
HOnounUS /hoʊ/
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs together with yttrium; forms highly magnetic compounds
From this reading "LAND, HO!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
Jessie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading "LAND, HO!"
lazilyadverbUS /ˈlæzəli/
in a slow and lazy manner
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
Lucile
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
a particular point in time
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
To move from a closed position.
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
peacefullyadverbUS /ˈpiːsfəli/
in a peaceful manner
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
possumnounUS /ˈpɑːsəm/
nocturnal arboreal marsupial having a naked prehensile tail found from southern North America to northern South America
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
preciseadjectiveUS /prɪˈsaɪs/
sharply exact or accurate or delimited
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
prodigiouslyadverbUS /proʊˈdɪdʒɪsli/
to a prodigious degree
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
pushingnounUS /ˈpʊʃɪŋ/
the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
with speed
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
on the contrary
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
resentfullyadverb
with resentment; in a resentful manner
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
roveverbUS /roʊv/
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
rumpledadjectiveUS /ˈrʌmpəld/
in disarray; extremely disorderly
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
cut with a saw
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
the state of being asleep
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
springingverbUS /ˈsprɪŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
sweetlyadverbUS /ˈswiːtli/
in an affectionate or loving manner (“sweet” is sometimes a poetic or informal variant of “sweetly”)
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Lucile opened her eyes slowly, lazily, and let them rove aimlessly about the bright cabin; then, chancing to come upon Jessie and Evelyn sleeping sweetly and peacefully, they stopped and focused resentfully.
vigorousadjectiveUS /ˈvɪɡərəs/
characterized by forceful and energetic action or activity
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
winkverbUS /wɪŋk/
signal by winking
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
yawningadjectiveUS /ˈjɔːnɪŋ/
gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something
From this reading "Nothing to do but sleep," she murmured, pushing back her rumpled curls and yawning prodigiously.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I wonder why it is I always have to wake up first," and then, her eyes happening to fall on Evelyn at this precise moment, she cried, "Oh, I saw you wink, Evelyn; you can't fool me!
You're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading You're playing possum," and, springing quickly out of bed, she gave that young lady a vigorous shake, which caused her to open her eyes rather suddenly.
