used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Poker and tongs, poker and tongs--what a noise they made!
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading And then she jumped up so that the palace fell to pieces about her.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She swelled up, bigger and bigger, till she was a baby as high as the palace.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
biggeradjectiveUS /ˈbɪɡər/
large or big relative to something else
From this reading She swelled up, bigger and bigger, till she was a baby as high as the palace.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
crackverbUS /kræk/
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading And then she jumped up so that the palace fell to pieces about her.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
gnashed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How the witch baby gnashed her teeth!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading How the witch baby gnashed her teeth!
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading She swelled up, bigger and bigger, till she was a baby as high as the palace.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How the witch baby gnashed her teeth!
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading And then she jumped up so that the palace fell to pieces about her.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Poker and tongs, poker and tongs--what a noise they made!
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 When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading Poker and tongs, poker and tongs--what a noise they made!
a large and stately mansion
From this reading She swelled up, bigger and bigger, till she was a baby as high as the palace.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading And then she jumped up so that the palace fell to pieces about her.
PokernounUS /ˈpoʊkər/
fire iron consisting of a metal rod with a handle; used to stir a fire
From this reading Poker and tongs, poker and tongs--what a noise they made!
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
cut with a saw
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
swelledadjectiveUS /sweld/
feeling self-importance
From this reading She swelled up, bigger and bigger, till she was a baby as high as the palace.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading How the witch baby gnashed her teeth!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then she jumped up so that the palace fell to pieces about her.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Poker and tongs, poker and tongs--what a noise they made!
up to a particular time
From this reading She swelled up, bigger and bigger, till she was a baby as high as the palace.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And then she jumped up so that the palace fell to pieces about her.
tongsnounUS /tɑːŋz/
any of various devices for taking hold of objects; usually have two hinged legs with handles above and pointed hooks below
From this reading Poker and tongs, poker and tongs--what a noise they made!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She swelled up, bigger and bigger, till she was a baby as high as the palace.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She swelled up, bigger and bigger, till she was a baby as high as the palace.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Poker and tongs, poker and tongs--what a noise they made!
at the time that
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
witchnounUS /wɪtʃ/
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading When it saw the witch baby the little mouse ran across the floor and into the crack and away, so that she never caught it.
