used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading ‘Not I,’ I answered.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
blareverbUS /bler/
make a strident sound
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept
From this reading ‘Nay, then, it must have fallen from my bosom during our ruffle.
buglesnounUS /ˈbjuːɡəlz/
plural of “bugle” — a brass instrument without valves; used for military calls and fanfares
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
chancedverbUS /tʃænst/
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading Have you chanced to see my silken kerchief?’
absence of light or illumination
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading ‘Nay, then, it must have fallen from my bosom during our ruffle.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading ‘Nay, then, it must have fallen from my bosom during our ruffle.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘Not I,’ I answered.
ill-turn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
kerchiefnounUS /ˈkɜːrtʃəf/
a square scarf that is folded into a triangle and worn over the head or about the neck
From this reading Have you chanced to see my silken kerchief?’
kettledrums
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
musicallyadverbUS /ˈmjuːzɪkli/
in a musical manner
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading ‘Nay, then, it must have fallen from my bosom during our ruffle.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Have you chanced to see my silken kerchief?’
an old word for “no”
From this reading ‘Nay, then, it must have fallen from my bosom during our ruffle.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
by chance
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
ratnounUS /ræt/
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
regimentverbUS /ˈredʒəmənt/
subject to rigid discipline, order, and systematization
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
ruffleverbUS /ˈrʌfəl/
stir up (water) so as to form ripples
From this reading ‘Nay, then, it must have fallen from my bosom during our ruffle.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
SaxonnounUS /ˈsæksən/
a member of a Germanic people who conquered England and merged with the Angles and Jutes to become Anglo-Saxons; dominant in England until the Norman Conquest
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Have you chanced to see my silken kerchief?’
silkenadjectiveUS /ˈsɪlkən/
having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
From this reading Have you chanced to see my silken kerchief?’
move stealthily
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
smelledverbUS /smeld/
past form of “smell” — inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
springald
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
swellingnounUS /ˈswelɪŋ/
an abnormal protuberance or localized enlargement
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading ‘Nay, then, it must have fallen from my bosom during our ruffle.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Have you chanced to see my silken kerchief?’
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading We were not half a mile from the town before the roll of kettledrums and the blare of bugles swelling up musically through the darkness announced the arrival of the regiment of horse which our friends at the inn had been expecting.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Have you chanced to see my silken kerchief?’
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading ‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn.
