used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
AdjustmentnounUS /əˈdʒʌstmənt/
making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
for the reason that
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
blockyadjective
resembling a block in shape
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
crechenounUS /kreʃ/
a hospital where foundlings (infant children of unknown parents) are taken in and cared for
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
cruisernounUS /ˈkruːzər/
a car in which policemen cruise the streets; equipped with radiotelephonic communications to headquarters
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
dedicatedadjectiveUS /ˈdedəkeɪtəd/
devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
doctorsnounUS /ˈdɑːktərz/
plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
divisible by two
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
fanaticsnounUS /fəˈnætɪks/
plural of “fanatic” — a person motivated by irrational enthusiasm (as for a cause)
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
ferretverbUS /ˈferət/
hound or harry relentlessly
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
functionsnounUS /ˈfʌŋkʃənz/
plural of “function” — (mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
gangnounUS /ɡæŋ/
an association of criminals
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
geneticadjectiveUS /dʒəˈnetɪk/
occurring among members of a family usually by heredity
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
harderadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdər/
comparative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
heavy-muscled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
InvestigationnounUS /ˌɪnvestəˈɡeɪʃən/
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
owning or consisting of land or real estate
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
LewisnounUS /ˈluːɪs/
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading The man's name was Lewis Orne.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man's name was Lewis Orne.
Marak
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
the force of workers available
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
used to form the superlative
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The man's name was Lewis Orne.
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
not any; not one
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
obviouslyadverbUS /ˈɑːbviəsli/
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
off-centeradjective
situated away from the center or axis
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
and nothing more
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
Orne
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
planetnounUS /ˈplænət/
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
podnounUS /pɑːd/
the vessel that contains the seeds of a plant (not the seeds themselves)
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
problemnounUS /ˈprɑːbləm/
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
redheadnounUS /ˈredhed/
someone who has red hair
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
savingnounUS /ˈseɪvɪŋ/
an act of economizing; reduction in cost
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
scoutnounUS /skaʊt/
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
tougheradjectiveUS /ˈtʌfər/
comparative of “tough” — not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
vitaladjectiveUS /ˈvaɪtəl/
urgently needed; absolutely necessary
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
at the time that
From this reading But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that!_ When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Marak it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had been a blocky, heavy-muscled redhead with slightly off-center features and the hard flesh of a heavy planet native.
womblike
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was alive only because he was in a womblike creche pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading _It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men.
