used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "It’s the Mail docks, I’ll bet!" cried another.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading "It’s the Mail docks, I’ll bet!" cried another.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading "Box fifty-nine!" cried one of the men who had counted the strokes.
Brenham
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
chorusnounUS /ˈkɔːrəs/
any utterance produced simultaneously by a group
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
clangornoun
a loud resonant repeating noise
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
Committee'snounUS /kəˈmɪtiz/
possessive form of “committee” — a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
countedverbUS /ˈkaʊntɪd/
past form of “count” — determine the number or amount of
From this reading "Box fifty-nine!" cried one of the men who had counted the strokes.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Box fifty-nine!" cried one of the men who had counted the strokes.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
docksnounUS /dɑːks/
plural of “dock” — an enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial
From this reading "It’s the Mail docks, I’ll bet!" cried another.
fifty-nineadjective
being nine more than fifty
From this reading "Box fifty-nine!" cried one of the men who had counted the strokes.
start firing a weapon
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
gongsnounUS /ɡɔːŋz/
plural of “gong” — a percussion instrument consisting of a metal plate that is struck with a softheaded drumstick
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
headquartersnounUS /ˈhedkwɔːrtərz/
(usually plural) the office that serves as the administrative center of an enterprise
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
I'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s the Mail docks, I’ll bet!" cried another.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s the Mail docks, I’ll bet!" cried another.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
MailnounUS /meɪl/
the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading "It’s the Mail docks, I’ll bet!" cried another.
the force of workers available
From this reading "Box fifty-nine!" cried one of the men who had counted the strokes.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Box fifty-nine!" cried one of the men who had counted the strokes.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
shriekingnounUS /ˈʃriːkɪŋ/
sharp piercing cry
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
make square
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
strokesnounUS /stroʊks/
plural of “stroke” — (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading "Box fifty-nine!" cried one of the men who had counted the strokes.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Where’s that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
thrilledadjectiveUS /θrɪld/
feeling intense pleasurable excitement
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
tintinnabulationnoun
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
tollingverbUS /ˈtoʊlɪŋ/
-ing form of “toll” — ring slowly
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
vibrationsnounUS /vaɪˈbreɪʃənz/
plural of “vibration” — the act of vibrating
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
at the time that
From this reading *A TONGUE OF FIRE* We had reached Union Square on our return to the Committee’s headquarters, when the night air burst into a clangor of alarm.
Where's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Where’s that?"
whistlesnounUS /ˈwɪsəlz/
plural of “whistle” — the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
which person or people
From this reading "Box fifty-nine!" cried one of the men who had counted the strokes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There was a sudden chorus of shrieking whistles, a distant tintinnabulation of gongs, and the great bell in the fire house on Brenham Place thrilled the air with its tolling vibrations.
