something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
alongsideadverbUS /əˈlɔːŋˈsaɪd/
side by side
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading THE CAPTURE Paul knew where that bag was.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object?
CAPTUREverbUS /ˈkæptʃər/
succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading THE CAPTURE Paul knew where that bag was.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
put or send forth
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
creepingnounUS /ˈkriːpɪŋ/
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading Dared they rise up and defy these two scoundrels?
defyverbUS /dɪˈfaɪ/
resist or confront with resistance
From this reading Dared they rise up and defy these two scoundrels?
cause to move by pulling
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object?
at or to or toward the front
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
and nothing more
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
kneelingnounUS /ˈniːlɪŋ/
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading THE CAPTURE Paul knew where that bag was.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object?
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object?
missingadjectiveUS /ˈmɪsɪŋ/
not able to be found
From this reading What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object?
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading THE CAPTURE Paul knew where that bag was.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
raysnounUS /reɪz/
plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
move upward
From this reading Dared they rise up and defy these two scoundrels?
the place where some action occurs
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
scoundrelsnounUS /ˈskaʊndrəlz/
plural of “scoundrel” — a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading Dared they rise up and defy these two scoundrels?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object?
successive (without a break)
From this reading What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object?
strangestadjectiveUS /ˈstreɪndʒɪst/
superlative of “strange” — being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE CAPTURE Paul knew where that bag was.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CAPTURE Paul knew where that bag was.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Dared they rise up and defy these two scoundrels?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Dared they rise up and defy these two scoundrels?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object?
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Dared they rise up and defy these two scoundrels?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Dared they rise up and defy these two scoundrels?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE CAPTURE Paul knew where that bag was.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.
in or at the place that
From this reading THE CAPTURE Paul knew where that bag was.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then.
