used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Waiting just at present was about as congenial an occupation as being racked.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
AnthonynounUS /ˈænθəni/
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Waiting just at present was about as congenial an occupation as being racked.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
congenialadjectiveUS /kənˈdʒiːnjəl/
suitable to your needs
From this reading Waiting just at present was about as congenial an occupation as being racked.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
dawdled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
draggingadjectiveUS /ˈdræɡɪŋ/
marked by a painfully slow and effortful manner
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
give expression to
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
and nothing more
From this reading Waiting just at present was about as congenial an occupation as being racked.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
the act of departing
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
localadjectiveUS /ˈloʊkəl/
relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administration of a city or town or district rather than a larger area
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
Luttrell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
Maxton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
not able to be found
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
occupationnounUS /ˌɑːkjəˈpeɪʃən/
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading Waiting just at present was about as congenial an occupation as being racked.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Waiting just at present was about as congenial an occupation as being racked.
rackedverbUS /rækt/
past form of “rack” — go at a rack
From this reading Waiting just at present was about as congenial an occupation as being racked.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
restlessadjectiveUS /ˈrestləs/
worried and uneasy
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
servesnounUS /sɜːrvz/
plural of “serve” — (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
therebyadverbUS /ˈðerˈbaɪ/
by that means or because of that
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
torturingadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːrtʃərɪŋ/
extremely painful
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
unnecessaryadjectiveUS /ənˈnesəseri/
not necessary
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
unsuccessfullyadverbUS /ˌʌnsəkˈsesfəli/
without success
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Waiting just at present was about as congenial an occupation as being racked.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He walked up and down with a dragging, restless step, and tried unsuccessfully to shut off his torturing thoughts behind a safety curtain.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Waiting just at present was about as congenial an occupation as being racked.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading It dawdled slowly from station to station, sometimes taking what appeared to be an unnecessary rest at a signal box as well.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It finally reached Maxton ten minutes late, thereby missing the London express and leaving Anthony Luttrell with a two hours’ wait.
Withstead
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anthony Luttrell caught a slow local train at Withstead—the sort of train that serves little country places all over England.
