used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
anew
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
archedadjectiveUS /ɑːrtʃt/
constructed with or in the form of an arch or arches
From this reading Fish cascaded from his arched back and he broke clear just as Scotty reached for him.
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 Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Fish cascaded from his arched back and he broke clear just as Scotty reached for him.
breatheverbUS /briːð/
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
lacking funds
From this reading Fish cascaded from his arched back and he broke clear just as Scotty reached for him.
placed in a grave
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
cascadedverbUS /kæˈskeɪdɪd/
past form of “cascade” — rush down in big quantities, like a cascade
From this reading Fish cascaded from his arched back and he broke clear just as Scotty reached for him.
rid of obstructions
From this reading Fish cascaded from his arched back and he broke clear just as Scotty reached for him.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
CluenounUS /kluː/
a slight indication
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Fish cascaded from his arched back and he broke clear just as Scotty reached for him.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his 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 Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
heavedverbUS /hiːvd/
past form of “heave” — utter a sound, as with obvious effort
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
and nothing more
From this reading Fish cascaded from his arched back and he broke clear just as Scotty reached for him.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
nostrilsnounUS /ˈnɑːstrəlz/
plural of “nostril” — either one of the two external openings to the nasal cavity in the nose
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
oilyadjectiveUS /ˈɔɪli/
containing an unusual amount of grease or oil
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Fish cascaded from his arched back and he broke clear just as Scotty reached for him.
RicknounUS /rɪk/
a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (“rick” and “wrick” are British)
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
Scotty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fish cascaded from his arched back and he broke clear just as Scotty reached for him.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
sidewaysadverbUS /ˈsaɪdweɪz/
with one side forward or to the front
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
slimyadjectiveUS /ˈslaɪmi/
covered with or resembling slime
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
slipperyadjectiveUS /ˈslɪpəri/
causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
spatverbUS /spæt/
come down like raindrops
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
stenchnounUS /stentʃ/
a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
twistedadjectiveUS /ˈtwɪstɪd/
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Search for a Clue As Rick fell to the floor, he twisted sideways and managed to bring up one arm to protect his head.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In an instant he was buried in a great, heavy, slippery mass of fish.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading He spat it out, and then, furious, he struggled against the slimy weight, got his hands and feet under him and heaved.
at the time that
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His nostrils filled with the oily stench, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he closed it again on a fish tail.
