Chapter XVII

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

earlier than; in front of

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

positioned so as to be ready for confrontation or danger

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

someone with a promising future

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

third-person singular of “connect” — connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

a place off to the side of an area

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

someone employed to clean and maintain a building

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

be incompatible; be or come into conflict

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

the habitation of wild animals

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

fasten with a lock

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

engage in

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

popular aquarium fish

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

to a great degree or extent

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

not any; not one

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

being on the outside or further from a center

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

a separate part of a whole

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

cut with a saw

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

not in physical motion

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

travel slowly

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

in or at that place or location

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

of or relating to or producing normal tone or tonus in muscles or tissue

From this reading It opened—an immense piece of luck—which made me feel that fate was on my side and braced me like a tonic.

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

be awake, be alert, be there

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface

From this reading MOLLY TELLS THE STORY As the taxi rolled up to her corner I saw that the windows of her floor were bright.

in the company of; together with

From this reading So before I rang the outside bell that connects with his lair in the basement, I tried the door, hoping some late comer had left it on the jar as they sometimes do.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading She was still up, which would make things easier—much better than having to wake her from her sleep.

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading In that sort of apartment they lock the outer doors at half-past ten and to get at the bells you have to wake the janitor, which I didn’t want to do, as no one must know I’d been there.