used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
any thing at all
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
attacksnounUS /əˈtæks/
plural of “attack” — (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading The best we could hope for was to beat off attacks.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading The best we could hope for was to beat off attacks.
besiegers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading The best we could hope for was to beat off attacks.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Of course they had to come to us, and they had to cross water to do it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course they had to come to us, and they had to cross water to do it.
travel across or pass over
From this reading Of course they had to come to us, and they had to cross water to do it.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
garrisonnounUS /ˈɡærɪsən/
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading The best we could hope for was to beat off attacks.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
JapanesenounUS /ˌdʒæpəˈniːz/
a native or inhabitant of Japan
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
engage in
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
the force of workers available
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
oddsnounUS /ɑːdz/
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The best we could hope for was to beat off attacks.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
sortiesnounUS /ˈsɔːrtiz/
plural of “sortie” — a military action in which besieged troops burst forth from their position
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Of course they had to come to us, and they had to cross water to do it.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
up to a particular time
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading There didn’t seem to be much of anything for us to do but wait till the besiegers made the first move.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The best we could hope for was to beat off attacks.
wasn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Of course they had to come to us, and they had to cross water to do it.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It wasn’t as though we had a strong garrison and could make sorties.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
weren't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odds weren’t so bad; five boys and a dog against five Japanese men, but the odds were on their side, I expect.
