used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
(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 Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
barnnounUS /bɑːrn/
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
BROWN'SnounUS /braʊnz/
possessive form of “brown” — an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
placed in a grave
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
casedadjective
covered or protected with or as if with a case
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
choresnounUS /tʃɔːrz/
plural of “chore” — a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
travel across or pass over
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
crustnounUS /krʌst/
the outer layer of the Earth
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
DESCENTnounUS /dɪˈsent/
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
DescribingverbUS /dɪˈskraɪbɪŋ/
-ing form of “describe” — give a description of
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
every person
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
footholdnounUS /ˈfʊthoʊld/
an area in hostile territory that has been captured and is held awaiting further troops and supplies
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
past form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
galenounUS /ɡeɪl/
a strong wind moving 45-90 knots; force 7 to 10 on Beaufort scale
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
destroyed or killed
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
half-past
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
heelnounUS /hiːl/
the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
an opening into or through something
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
icyadjectiveUS /ˈaɪsi/
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
lanternnounUS /ˈlæntərn/
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
loftyadjectiveUS /ˈlɔːfti/
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
lotsnounUS /lɑːts/
a large number or amount
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
engage in
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
not any; not one
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
a person who is being chased
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
repeatedlyadverbUS /rɪˈpiːtɪdli/
several time
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
ringsnounUS /rɪŋz/
gymnastic apparatus consisting of a pair of heavy metal circles (usually covered with leather) suspended by ropes; used for gymnastic exercises
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
cut with a saw
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
SLIDEnounUS /slaɪd/
a small flat rectangular piece of glass on which specimens can be mounted for microscopic study
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
in or at or to some place
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
stampedverbUS /stæmpt/
past form of “stamp” — walk heavily
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
stovenounUS /stoʊv/
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
stroveverbUS /stroʊv/
inflected form of “strive” — attempt by employing effort
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
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 Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
except if; if not
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
at the time that
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading And many must have seen him make His wild descent from there one night, 'Cross lots, 'cross walls, 'cross everything, Describing rings of lantern light.
WILLY-NILLYadverb
in a random manner
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading BROWN'S DESCENT OR THE WILLY-NILLY SLIDE Brown lived at such a lofty farm That everyone for miles could see His lantern when he did his chores In winter after half-past three.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Walls were all buried, trees were few: He saw no stay unless he stove A hole in somewhere with his heel.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Between the house and barn the gale Got him by something he had on And blew him out on the icy crust That cased the world, and he was gone!
be the cause or source of
From this reading But though repeatedly he strove And stamped and said things to himself, And sometimes something seemed to yield, He gained no foothold, but pursued His journey down from field to field.
