used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
consider or hold as true
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
(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 His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
antagonismnounUS /ænˈtæɡənɪzəm/
a state of deep-seated ill-will
From this reading Their flaring antagonism had burnt itself out.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
BobbynounUS /ˈbɑːbi/
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
brisklyadverbUS /ˈbrɪskli/
in a brisk manner
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
bruiseverbUS /bruːz/
injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
burntadjectiveUS /bɜːrnt/
ruined by overcooking
From this reading Their flaring antagonism had burnt itself out.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
clothing in general
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
couchedverbUS /kaʊtʃt/
past form of “couch” — formulate in a particular style or language
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
covertlyadverbUS /koʊˈvɜːrtli/
in a covert manner
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
curvedadjectiveUS /kɜːrvd/
having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
dabbleverbUS /ˈdæbəl/
dip a foot or hand briefly into a liquid
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
greatly pleased
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
delightfullyadverbUS /dɪˈlaɪtfəli/
in a delightful manner
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
Denny
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
dressing-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
ex-lightweight
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
flaringadjectiveUS /ˈflerɪŋ/
streaming or flapping or spreading wide as if in a current of air
From this reading Their flaring antagonism had burnt itself out.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
freshlyadverbUS /ˈfreʃli/
very recently
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
highest in quality
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
grinnounUS /ɡrɪn/
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
Hogarty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
ignoredadjectiveUS /ˌɪɡˈnɔːrd/
disregarded
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Their flaring antagonism had burnt itself out.
immediately past
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
provided with artificial light
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
measuredadjectiveUS /ˈmeʒərd/
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
OgdennounUS /ˈɑːɡdən/
English psychologist who collaborated with I. A. Richards in designing Basic English (1889-1957)
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
Ogden'snounUS /ˈɑːɡdənz/
possessive form of “ogden” — English psychologist who collaborated with I. A. Richards in designing Basic English (1889-1957)
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
on one occasion
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Their flaring antagonism had burnt itself out.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
pausingverbUS /ˈpɔːzɪŋ/
-ing form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
professor-of-English
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
smoothlyadverbUS /ˈsmuːðli/
with no problems or difficulties
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
tautnessnoun
the physical condition of being stretched or strained
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
tentativelyadverbUS /ˈtentətɪvli/
in a tentative manner
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their flaring antagonism had burnt itself out.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
in or at that place or location
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
too-pale
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
too-thin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
towelnounUS /ˈtaʊəl/
a rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The ex-lightweight ignored entirely the covertly delighted grin that lit up Bobby Ogden's features at his appearance.
vernacularnounUS /vərˈnækjələr/
a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And when Hogarty spoke it was once more in his smoothly perfect, delightfully measured, best professor-of-English style, for all that his opening remark was couched in the vernacular.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His own too-pale, too-thin lips were curved in a ghost of a smile; his face had lost all its dangerous tautness, but the greatest change of all lay there in his eyes.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
at the time that
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Denny had begun to get back into his clothes, pausing now and then to dabble tentatively at the freshly broken bruise with the wet towel which Ogden had at last forced him to accept, when the door of the dressing-room opened, and Hogarty stepped briskly inside and closed the door behind him.
