used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
AllennounUS /ˈælən/
United States comedienne remembered as the confused but imperturbable partner of her husband, George Burns (1906-1964)
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They studied him in silence for a few seconds as they had studied Russell.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
billiard-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
detectivesnounUS /dɪˈtektɪvz/
plural of “detective” — a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading He was of an entirely different type.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
drawing-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He was of an entirely different type.
eyedadjectiveUS /aɪd/
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading They studied him in silence for a few seconds as they had studied Russell.
start firing a weapon
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They studied him in silence for a few seconds as they had studied Russell.
set up or found
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They studied him in silence for a few seconds as they had studied Russell.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
inquiringlyadverb
in an inquiring manner
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
Landis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
the act of departing
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
a room where books are kept
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Though tall, like Russell, he was slender and wiry rather than muscular.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
muscularadjectiveUS /ˈmʌskjələr/
of or relating to or consisting of muscle
From this reading Though tall, like Russell, he was slender and wiry rather than muscular.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
on one occasion
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
on the contrary
From this reading Though tall, like Russell, he was slender and wiry rather than muscular.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
RussellnounUS /ˈrʌsəl/
United States religious leader who founded the sect that is now called Jehovah's Witnesses (1852-1916)
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading They studied him in silence for a few seconds as they had studied Russell.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading They studied him in silence for a few seconds as they had studied Russell.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading Though tall, like Russell, he was slender and wiry rather than muscular.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading They studied him in silence for a few seconds as they had studied Russell.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading Though tall, like Russell, he was slender and wiry rather than muscular.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Though tall, like Russell, he was slender and wiry rather than muscular.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They studied him in silence for a few seconds as they had studied Russell.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Though tall, like Russell, he was slender and wiry rather than muscular.
thoughtfullyadverbUS /ˈθɔːtfəli/
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
From this reading He was of an entirely different type.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was of an entirely different type.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
in or at the place that
From this reading “A BIT OF A RISK” Leaving Russell in the library, Landis went back to the billiard-room where he found Allen in an easy chair smoking and looking thoughtfully into the fire.
wiryadjectiveUS /ˈwɪri/
lean and sinewy
From this reading Though tall, like Russell, he was slender and wiry rather than muscular.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Allen rose at once and followed him to the drawing-room, sat down with a slight smile and eyed the two detectives inquiringly.
