used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
any person at all
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
BILLSnounUS /bɪlz/
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading SCENES NOT IN THE BILLS.
plural of “blow” — a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
inflected form of “bear” — have
From this reading It came from three candles borne by three men.
a youthful male person
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
bruisedverbUS /bruːzd/
past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It came from three candles borne by three men.
candlesnounUS /ˈkændəlz/
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading It came from three candles borne by three men.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
collarnounUS /ˈkɑːlər/
a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
contriving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
dealtverbUS /delt/
inflected form of “deal” — act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
eludeverbUS /ɪˈluːd/
escape, either physically or mentally
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
enragedadjectiveUS /enˈreɪdʒd/
marked by extreme anger
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
flails
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It came from three candles borne by three men.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
hurtingnounUS /ˈhɜːrtɪŋ/
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
idiotnounUS /ˈɪdiːət/
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading SCENES NOT IN THE BILLS.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It came from three candles borne by three men.
and nothing more
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
the force of workers available
From this reading It came from three candles borne by three men.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading SCENES NOT IN THE BILLS.
plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
and nothing more
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
railingsnounUS /ˈreɪlɪŋz/
plural of “railing” — a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
precisely, exactly
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs
From this reading SCENES NOT IN THE BILLS.
seatsnounUS /siːts/
an area that includes places where several people can sit
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
sturdyadjectiveUS /ˈstɜːrdi/
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
carry out
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SCENES NOT IN THE BILLS.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It came from three candles borne by three men.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
twistverbUS /twɪst/
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
usingnounUS /ˈjuːzɪŋ/
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Just as he had caught a boy by the collar, and was about to take a twist in his hair, the door opened, and a light appeared.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Most of the sturdy blows which he dealt, using his arms like flails, fell upon the railings of the seats, and only bruised his hands.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The enraged idiot struck out right and left, without hurting anybody--the objects of his vengeance contriving to elude him in the dark.
