used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Cousin Tom told us about them last night," thought Russ.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
a youthful male person
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading It was the fish Laddie had caught and which the boy had called a "Sallie Growler."
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading It was the fish Laddie had caught and which the boy had called a "Sallie Growler."
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading "Cousin Tom told us about them last night," thought Russ.
crab-line
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading THE WALKING FISH Laddie dropped his fishing-pole.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading THE WALKING FISH Laddie dropped his fishing-pole.
fishing-pole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALKING FISH Laddie dropped his fishing-pole.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
Growlernoun
a speaker whose voice sounds like a growl
From this reading It was the fish Laddie had caught and which the boy had called a "Sallie Growler."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE WALKING FISH Laddie dropped his fishing-pole.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
howlingnounUS /ˈhaʊlɪŋ/
a long loud emotional utterance
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
Laddienoun
a male child (a familiar term of address to a boy)
From this reading THE WALKING FISH Laddie dropped his fishing-pole.
immediately past
From this reading "Cousin Tom told us about them last night," thought Russ.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Cousin Tom told us about them last night," thought Russ.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
pawverbUS /pɔː/
scrape with the paws
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
RussnounUS /rʌs/
plural of “rus” — the medieval Russian state established by Scandinavian traders in the 9th century; the capital was first in Novgorod and then in Kiev
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
Sallie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the fish Laddie had caught and which the boy had called a "Sallie Growler."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WALKING FISH Laddie dropped his fishing-pole.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Cousin Tom told us about them last night," thought Russ.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Russ let go of his crab-line, and they both stood looking at the dog and at the strange boy.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Cousin Tom told us about them last night," thought Russ.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "Cousin Tom told us about them last night," thought Russ.
male cat
From this reading "Cousin Tom told us about them last night," thought Russ.
hard to endure
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
ugly-looking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Cousin Tom told us about them last night," thought Russ.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading THE WALKING FISH Laddie dropped his fishing-pole.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The dog was howling, and trying to paw off from his nose a queer and ugly-looking fish that had hold of it.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was the fish Laddie had caught and which the boy had called a "Sallie Growler."
