used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
anchornounUS /ˈæŋkər/
a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving
From this reading Her anchor was in the coral, and you could see the slack of the chain running to her bow.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She’d been a brig.
bellyingadjective
curving outward
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
bloomedverbUS /bluːmd/
past form of “bloom” — produce or yield flowers
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
terminate
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
brignounUS /brɪɡ/
two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on both masts
From this reading She’d been a brig.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
canvasnounUS /ˈkænvəs/
a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
a series of things depending on each other as if linked together
From this reading Her anchor was in the coral, and you could see the slack of the chain running to her bow.
coralnounUS /ˈkɔːrəl/
a variable color averaging a deep pink
From this reading Her anchor was in the coral, and you could see the slack of the chain running to her bow.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Her anchor was in the coral, and you could see the slack of the chain running to her bow.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
foresailnoun
the lowest sail on the foremast of a square-rigged vessel
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
foreyard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
hackedverbUS /hækt/
past form of “hack” — cut with a hacking tool
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
and nothing more
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
mastsnounUS /mæsts/
plural of “mast” — a vertical spar for supporting sails
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
ragsnounUS /ræɡz/
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
reefnounUS /riːf/
a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
riggingnounUS /ˈrɪɡɪŋ/
gear consisting of ropes etc. supporting a ship's masts and sails
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading Her anchor was in the coral, and you could see the slack of the chain running to her bow.
only a very short time before
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Her anchor was in the coral, and you could see the slack of the chain running to her bow.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
She'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She’d been a brig.
transport commercially
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
sinkingnounUS /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
slackadjectiveUS /slæk/
not tense or taut
From this reading Her anchor was in the coral, and you could see the slack of the chain running to her bow.
slashedadjectiveUS /slæʃt/
patterned by having color applied with sweeping strokes
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
having a supporting base
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
stocksnounUS /stɑːks/
a frame that supports a boat while it is under construction
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
sunkadjectiveUS /sʌŋk/
doomed to extinction
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
tidesnounUS /taɪdz/
plural of “tide” — the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
up to a particular time
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
the upper part of anything
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
trigg
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
turtlenounUS /ˈtɜːrtəl/
a sweater or jersey with a high close-fitting collar
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
wavingnounUS /ˈweɪvɪŋ/
the act of signaling by a movement of the hand
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “It was, and as we brought the boat along careful, the ship bloomed up at us, the fish playing round the standing rigging and a big green turtle sinking from sight of us into her shadow.
be dressed in
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “She lay as trigg as if she was on the stocks, with scarcely a list and her bow pointing to the break in the reef.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading The top masts had been hacked off for some reason or another, and pieces of canvas, yards long some of them, showed waving from her foreyard, and it was plain to be seen she’d been sunk with the foresail on her and the canvas had got slashed by fish and the wear of the tides bellying it this way and that till there was nothing left but just them rags.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Her anchor was in the coral, and you could see the slack of the chain running to her bow.
