used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading THE MADNESS All the next day the battalion worked on the trenches.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
assaultingverbUS /əˈsɔːltɪŋ/
-ing form of “assault” — attack someone physically or emotionally
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
barbedadjectiveUS /bɑːrbd/
capable of wounding
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
battalionnounUS /bəˈtæljən/
an army unit usually consisting of a headquarters and three or more companies
From this reading THE MADNESS All the next day the battalion worked on the trenches.
battalionsnounUS /bəˈtæljənz/
plural of “battalion” — an army unit usually consisting of a headquarters and three or more companies
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
bombedverbUS /bɑːmd/
past form of “bomb” — throw bombs at or attack with bombs
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
cavesnounUS /keɪvz/
plural of “cave” — a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
chalknounUS /tʃɔːk/
A soft white limestone used for marking doors, stone walls, and slate.
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
crawlverbUS /krɔːl/
move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THE MADNESS All the next day the battalion worked on the trenches.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading And up these shafts they hauled and pushed the dead Germans.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
dug-outs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
gassedverbUS /ɡæst/
inflected form of “gas” — attack with gas; subject to gas fumes
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
GermansnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrmənz/
plural of “german” — a person of German nationality
From this reading And up these shafts they hauled and pushed the dead Germans.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
hauledverbUS /hɔːld/
past form of “haul” — draw slowly or heavily
From this reading And up these shafts they hauled and pushed the dead Germans.
hollowedverbUS /ˈhɑːloʊd/
past form of “hollow” — remove the inner part or the core of
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
MADNESSnounUS /ˈmædnəs/
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading THE MADNESS All the next day the battalion worked on the trenches.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
the force of workers available
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading THE MADNESS All the next day the battalion worked on the trenches.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE MADNESS All the next day the battalion worked on the trenches.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading And up these shafts they hauled and pushed the dead Germans.
ratsnounUS /ræts/
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
revelationnounUS /ˌrevəˈleɪʃən/
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
shaftsnounUS /ʃæfts/
plural of “shaft” — a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
slopingadjectiveUS /ˈsloʊpɪŋ/
having an oblique or slanted direction
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
slushverbUS /slʌʃ/
make a splashing sound
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
steeplyadverbUS /ˈstiːpli/
in a steep manner
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
supportingadjectiveUS /səˈpɔːrtɪŋ/
furnishing support and encouragement
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MADNESS All the next day the battalion worked on the trenches.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading And up these shafts they hauled and pushed the dead Germans.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Caught like rats, they had been gassed and bombed before they could get out, though some few had managed to crawl up after the assaulting battalions had passed over and to open fire on the supporting ones as they came up.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
trenchnounUS /trentʃ/
a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
trenchesnounUS /ˈtrentʃɪz/
plural of “trench” — a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading THE MADNESS All the next day the battalion worked on the trenches.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And up these shafts they hauled and pushed the dead Germans.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
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 To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading THE MADNESS All the next day the battalion worked on the trenches.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Great caves had been hollowed out of the ground under the barbed wire in front, with two narrow shafts sloping steeply down from the trench to each, so small and narrow that you must crawl on hands and knees to get in or out.
Ypresnoun
battle in World War I (1917); an Allied offensive which eventually failed because tanks bogged down in the waterlogged soil of Flanders; Germans introduced mustard gas which interfered with the Allied artillery
From this reading To men used to the water and slush of Ypres they came as a revelation--the trenches and dug-outs in the chalk district.
