the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For an instant he shivered.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
completely unclothed
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
bedspringnoun
(usually in the plural) one of the springs holding up the mattress of a bed
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The ringing could mean only one thing.
creakingnounUS /ˈkriːkɪŋ/
a squeaking sound
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
dialnounUS /ˈdaɪəl/
the face of a timepiece; graduated to show the hours
From this reading The luminous dial of his watch showed quarter past three.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For an instant he shivered.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For an instant he shivered.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For an instant he shivered.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
luminousadjectiveUS /ˈluːmənəs/
softly bright or radiant
From this reading The luminous dial of his watch showed quarter past three.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading The ringing could mean only one thing.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The ringing could mean only one thing.
and nothing more
From this reading The ringing could mean only one thing.
palnounUS /pæl/
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading The luminous dial of his watch showed quarter past three.
patverbUS /pæt/
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
penetratedverbUS /ˈpenətreɪtɪd/
past form of “penetrate” — pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
phonenounUS /foʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
pillownounUS /ˈpɪloʊ/
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
one of four equal parts
From this reading The luminous dial of his watch showed quarter past three.
RicknounUS /rɪk/
a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (“rick” and “wrick” are British)
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
ringingnounUS /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
only a very short time before
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
Scotty's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
shiveredverbUS /ˈʃɪvərd/
past form of “shiver” — tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading For an instant he shivered.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The luminous dial of his watch showed quarter past three.
slumbernounUS /ˈslʌmbər/
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading He heard the creaking of his bedspring and the soft pat of Scotty's bare feet as his pal swung to the floor.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
a special situation
From this reading The ringing could mean only one thing.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The luminous dial of his watch showed quarter past three.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
having come into contact
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
look attentively
From this reading The luminous dial of his watch showed quarter past three.
at the time that
From this reading Night Flight It seemed to Rick that his head scarcely had touched the pillow when the ringing of the phone penetrated his slumber.
