used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading And the week after held indigestion, more tired bones, more fun, and one surprise.
after-Christmas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
(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 Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
any thing at all
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
(used in the plural) a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And they each held a mysterious happening which no one could explain.
disquietnounUS /dɪˈskwaɪət/
a feeling of mild anxiety about possible developments
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading And they each held a mysterious happening which no one could explain.
divisible by two
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading And they each held a mysterious happening which no one could explain.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
happeningnounUS /ˈhæpənɪŋ/
an event that happens
From this reading And they each held a mysterious happening which no one could explain.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading And the week after held indigestion, more tired bones, more fun, and one surprise.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
indigestionnounUS /ˌɪndaɪˈdʒestʃən/
a disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or heartburn or nausea
From this reading And the week after held indigestion, more tired bones, more fun, and one surprise.
immediately past
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading And the week after held indigestion, more tired bones, more fun, and one surprise.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
of an obscure nature
From this reading And they each held a mysterious happening which no one could explain.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
not any; not one
From this reading And they each held a mysterious happening which no one could explain.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
a judge of a probate court
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
packedadjectiveUS /pækt/
extremely crowed or filled to capacity
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
rappings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
in a serious manner
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading And the week after held indigestion, more tired bones, more fun, and one surprise.
surprisesnounUS /sərˈpraɪzɪz/
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And they each held a mysterious happening which no one could explain.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Even the rappings which they had all heard had not made them see that anything out of the ordinary was really happening, until the after-Christmas affair convinced them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The second of these being so serious that my stories of hearing things at night were at last taken seriously.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading The week before Christmas was packed tight with hurry, tired bones, fun, and, for me, a short worry and two surprises, one of which made my disquiet.
