used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading Or if not stiff, they lacked action.
(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 Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
aptadjectiveUS /æpt/
(usually followed by “to”) naturally disposed toward
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
blanketsnounUS /ˈblæŋkəts/
plural of “blanket” — bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading We got out of our blankets heavily.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
bouldersnounUS /ˈboʊldərz/
plural of “boulder” — a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
DAY'SnounUS /deɪz/
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading ONE DAY’S DIGGING.
DIGGINGnounUS /ˈdɪɡɪŋ/
the act of digging
From this reading ONE DAY’S DIGGING.
divisible by two
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading We got out of our blankets heavily.
to a considerable degree
From this reading We got out of our blankets heavily.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Or if not stiff, they lacked action.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
lackedverbUS /lækt/
past form of “lack” — be without
From this reading Or if not stiff, they lacked action.
staying power
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
plural of “limb” — one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
engage in
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Or if not stiff, they lacked action.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We got out of our blankets heavily.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ONE DAY’S DIGGING.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or if not stiff, they lacked action.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We got out of our blankets heavily.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading We got out of our blankets heavily.
pick-and-shovel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
by chance
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
express in words
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
shoulderingverbUS /ˈʃoʊldərɪŋ/
-ing form of “shoulder” — lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
sluices
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
splashingnounUS /ˈsplæʃɪŋ/
the act of splashing a (liquid) substance on a surface
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
not moving or operating freely
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Or if not stiff, they lacked action.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
tuggingverbUS /ˈtʌɡɪŋ/
inflected form of “tug” — pull hard
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
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 Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We got out of our blankets heavily.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Legs and back were apt to be a little stiff in the morning.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
at the time that
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading Working all the day previous, possibly in the water, or with it splashing all about, tugging at heavy boulders, shouldering wet sluices, to say nothing of the regular pick-and-shovel exercise, would make itself felt even when the limbs and blood were younger than now.
