used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
barefootedadjective
without shoes
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
go after with the intent to catch
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading I saw my policeman vanish round a corner.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
flower-bed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
destroyed or killed
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
helmetnounUS /ˈhelmət/
armor plate that protects the head
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I leaned out.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading I leaned out.
staying power
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
loweredadjectiveUS /ˈloʊərd/
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
not any; not one
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I leaned out.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
policemannounUS /pəˈliːsmən/
a member of a police force
From this reading I saw my policeman vanish round a corner.
pyjamahs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading I saw my policeman vanish round a corner.
cut with a saw
From this reading I saw my policeman vanish round a corner.
sillnounUS /sɪl/
structural member consisting of a continuous horizontal timber forming the lowest member of a framework or supporting structure
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
not in physical motion
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
vanishverbUS /ˈvænɪʃ/
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading I saw my policeman vanish round a corner.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
whistlesnounUS /ˈwɪsəlz/
plural of “whistle” — the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
a Caucasian
From this reading A white helmet and a pair of white legs flashed under a lamp and were gone.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading My window was no impossible height from the ground, but I did not stay to measure it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With the whistles still in my ears I lowered myself from the sill, dropped into a flower-bed, and gave chase to the helmet and the legs, myself barefooted and in pyjamahs.
