used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Quin's desire for self-improvement soon became an obsession.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But his watchword now, as then, was, "Up and at 'em!"
the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
attackedverbUS /əˈtækt/
past form of “attack” — launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
barbedadjectiveUS /bɑːrbd/
capable of wounding
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Quin's desire for self-improvement soon became an obsession.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
belligerentadjectiveUS /bəˈlɪdʒərənt/
characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
bogsnounUS /bɑːɡz/
plural of “bog” — wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation; has poorer drainage than a swamp; soil is unfit for cultivation but can be cut and dried and used for fuel
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But his watchword now, as then, was, "Up and at 'em!"
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading Quin's desire for self-improvement soon became an obsession.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
determinationnounUS /dɪˌtɜːrməˈneɪʃən/
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
a quad with a square body
From this reading But his watchword now, as then, was, "Up and at 'em!"
an opposing military force
From this reading And before long he had the satisfaction of seeing his enemy gradually giving way.
Enid's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
entangledadjectiveUS /enˈtæŋɡəld/
deeply involved especially in something complicated
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Quin's desire for self-improvement soon became an obsession.
a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
the act of giving
From this reading And before long he had the satisfaction of seeing his enemy gradually giving way.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
in a gradual manner
From this reading And before long he had the satisfaction of seeing his enemy gradually giving way.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
hand-to-handadjective
being at close quarters
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
hopelesslyadverbUS /ˈhoʊpləsli/
in a hopeless manner
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
HunnounUS /hʌn/
a member of a nomadic people who invaded Europe in the 4th century
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading And before long he had the satisfaction of seeing his enemy gradually giving way.
mathematicsnounUS /ˌmæθəˈmætɪks/
a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But his watchword now, as then, was, "Up and at 'em!"
obsessionnounUS /əbˈseʃən/
an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will
From this reading Quin's desire for self-improvement soon became an obsession.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
on one occasion
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
the local environment
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
Quin's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quin's desire for self-improvement soon became an obsession.
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading And before long he had the satisfaction of seeing his enemy gradually giving way.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading And before long he had the satisfaction of seeing his enemy gradually giving way.
self-improvementnounUS /ˈselfɪmˈpruːvmənt/
the act of improving yourself
From this reading Quin's desire for self-improvement soon became an obsession.
shell-shock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
in the near future
From this reading Quin's desire for self-improvement soon became an obsession.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
strugglesnounUS /ˈstrʌɡəlz/
plural of “struggle” — an energetic attempt to achieve something
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading But his watchword now, as then, was, "Up and at 'em!"
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
universitynounUS /ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsəti/
the body of faculty and students at a university
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading But his watchword now, as then, was, "Up and at 'em!"
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But his watchword now, as then, was, "Up and at 'em!"
watchwordnounUS /ˈwɑːtʃwɜːrd/
a slogan used to rally support for a cause
From this reading But his watchword now, as then, was, "Up and at 'em!"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading And before long he had the satisfaction of seeing his enemy gradually giving way.
wirenounUS /ˈwaɪər/
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading He plunged through bogs of history, got hopelessly entangled in the barbed wire of mathematics, had hand-to-hand struggles with belligerent parts of speech, and more than once suffered the shell-shock of despair.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading With Miss Enid's assistance he got into a night course at the university, and proceeded to attack his ignorance with something of the fierce determination he had attacked the Hun the year before in France.
