used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The brown line of Japanese rolled up against the first Russian trench.
(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 The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading The grip upon his arm relaxed.
bayonetnounUS /ˈbeɪənet/
a knife that can be fixed to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
blurredadjectiveUS /blɜːrd/
indistinct or hazy in outline
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading The brown line of Japanese rolled up against the first Russian trench.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
finger-bone
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The brown line of Japanese rolled up against the first Russian trench.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
gripnounUS /ɡrɪp/
the act of grasping
From this reading The grip upon his arm relaxed.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The grip upon his arm relaxed.
horridadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːrəd/
exceedingly bad
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
JapanesenounUS /ˌdʒæpəˈniːz/
a native or inhabitant of Japan
From this reading The brown line of Japanese rolled up against the first Russian trench.
laceverbUS /leɪs/
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
staying power
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading The brown line of Japanese rolled up against the first Russian trench.
maché
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
papier
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
reconstructverbUS /ˌriːkənˈstrʌkt/
reassemble mentally
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
relaxedadjectiveUS /rɪˈlækst/
without strain or anxiety
From this reading The grip upon his arm relaxed.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading The brown line of Japanese rolled up against the first Russian trench.
Routledge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
ruffnounUS /rʌf/
an external body part consisting of feathers or hair about the neck of a bird or other animal
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
RussiannounUS /ˈrʌʃən/
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading The brown line of Japanese rolled up against the first Russian trench.
skeletonnounUS /ˈskelətən/
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
strayverbUS /streɪ/
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
possessing sweep
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
toynounUS /tɔɪ/
an artifact designed to be played with
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
trenchnounUS /trentʃ/
a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading The brown line of Japanese rolled up against the first Russian trench.
Twentieth-century
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The brown line of Japanese rolled up against the first Russian trench.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The grip upon his arm relaxed.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
a Caucasian
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading Routledge thought of toy soldiers, heads bent forward, legs working, and guns of _papier maché_ in bayonet charge.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading The works wore a white ruff of smoke, and its lace was swept by stray winds down over the fallen....
but in spite of that
From this reading The smoke blurred all but a finger-bone of the valley; yet from that part he could reconstruct the whole horrid skeleton of a Twentieth-century crime....
