used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “What with the ghosts and the silence, we’ve tamed Hardcastle by this time.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading You needn’t fear.”
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “Get you in first, Long Murgatroyd,” she gibed.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
Garsykes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Get you in first, Long Murgatroyd,” she gibed.
ghostsnounUS /ɡoʊsts/
plural of “ghost” — a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading “What with the ghosts and the silence, we’ve tamed Hardcastle by this time.
gibed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Get you in first, Long Murgatroyd,” she gibed.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
guardingverbUS /ˈɡɑːrdɪŋ/
-ing form of “guard” — to keep watch over
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
Hardcastle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Get you in first, Long Murgatroyd,” she gibed.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
immediately past
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “Get you in first, Long Murgatroyd,” she gibed.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
Murgatroyd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Get you in first, Long Murgatroyd,” she gibed.
needn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You needn’t fear.”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
Nita's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
QUIETadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “What with the ghosts and the silence, we’ve tamed Hardcastle by this time.
tamedadjectiveUS /teɪmd/
brought from wildness into a domesticated state
From this reading “What with the ghosts and the silence, we’ve tamed Hardcastle by this time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “What with the ghosts and the silence, we’ve tamed Hardcastle by this time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “What with the ghosts and the silence, we’ve tamed Hardcastle by this time.
tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
watchfulnessnoun
the process of paying close and continuous attention
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
we've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What with the ghosts and the silence, we’ve tamed Hardcastle by this time.
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading THE QUIET WEDDING The Garsykes Folk had grown tired of guarding the cave mouth.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
at the time that
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
whippedverbUS /wɪpt/
inflected form of “whip” — beat severely with a whip or rod
From this reading For a night, and half the next day, Nita’s tongue had whipped them into watchfulness; and when they were growing out of hand at last, she made light of what Hardcastle could do to them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “What with the ghosts and the silence, we’ve tamed Hardcastle by this time.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Get you in first, Long Murgatroyd,” she gibed.
