used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
achingadjectiveUS /ˈeɪkɪŋ/
causing a dull and steady pain
From this reading He thrust aside the saddle and sat up, aching.
(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 There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
on or to one side
From this reading He thrust aside the saddle and sat up, aching.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
Charles'snounUS /ˈtʃɑːrlzɪz/
possessive form of “charles” — King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
constellationsnounUS /ˌkɑːnstəˈleɪʃənz/
plural of “constellation” — an arrangement of parts or elements
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
coolnessnounUS /ˈkuːlnəs/
calm and unruffled self-assurance
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
crampsnounUS /kræmps/
plural of “cramp” — a painful and involuntary muscular contraction
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
grass-tops
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
guidesnounUS /ɡaɪdz/
plural of “guide” — someone employed to conduct others
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
mousenounUS /maʊs/
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
nightmaresnounUS /ˈnaɪtmerz/
plural of “nightmare” — a situation resembling a terrifying dream
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
not any; not one
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
oddsnounUS /ɑːdz/
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
overheadadverbUS /ˈoʊvərˈhed/
above your head; in the sky
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
panverbUS /pæn/
make a sweeping movement
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
move upward
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
put a saddle on
From this reading He thrust aside the saddle and sat up, aching.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He thrust aside the saddle and sat up, aching.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
snouting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
push forcefully
From this reading He thrust aside the saddle and sat up, aching.
tickingnounUS /ˈtɪkɪŋ/
a metallic tapping sound
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
tree-tops
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
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 The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
twigsnounUS /twɪɡz/
plural of “twig” — a small branch or division of a branch (especially a terminal division); usually applied to branches of the current or preceding year
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He thrust aside the saddle and sat up, aching.
WainnounUS /weɪn/
English writer (1925-1994)
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
wanderernounUS /ˈwɑːndərər/
someone who leads a wandering unsettled life
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Something from the heart of things was calling him to rise.
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 The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
waververbUS /ˈweɪvər/
pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading The grass was all pale about him, the trees were all black, tree-tops and grass-tops seemed to waver a little: something near the water pan made a ticking noise, as though some mouse were snouting there under fallen twigs.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There were the stars overhead, in all those odds and ends of constellations of the southern heaven which have no easy guides for the wanderer like King Charles’s Wain.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With an effort he shook himself out of the cramps and nightmares into the coolness and stillness of reality.
