used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He dashed snorting across the ravine.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
CANYONnounUS /ˈkænjən/
a ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
a steep high face of rock
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
danglingnounUS /ˈdæŋɡəlɪŋ/
the act of suspending something (hanging it from above so it moves freely)
From this reading Sid dropped his rifle and fell on the dangling lariat weaving like a snake through the grass.
having gaps or spaces
From this reading He dashed snorting across the ravine.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Sid dropped his rifle and fell on the dangling lariat weaving like a snake through the grass.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Sid dropped his rifle and fell on the dangling lariat weaving like a snake through the grass.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
franticadjectiveUS /ˈfræntɪk/
excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Sid dropped his rifle and fell on the dangling lariat weaving like a snake through the grass.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He dashed snorting across the ravine.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
hoarseadjectiveUS /hɔːrs/
deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
lariatnounUS /ˈleriət/
a long noosed rope used to catch animals
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
ledgesnounUS /ˈledʒɪz/
plural of “ledge” — a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Sid dropped his rifle and fell on the dangling lariat weaving like a snake through the grass.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
muzzlenounUS /ˈmʌzəl/
the open circular discharging end of a gun
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
held or filled or in use
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
picketnounUS /ˈpɪkɪt/
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
PintonounUS /ˈpɪntoʊ/
a spotted or calico horse or pony
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
ravinenounUS /rəˈviːn/
a deep narrow steep-sided valley (especially one formed by running water)
From this reading He dashed snorting across the ravine.
rearedverbUS /rɪrd/
past form of “rear” — stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
ropyadjective
of or resembling rope (or ropes) in being long and strong
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
scrambleverbUS /ˈskræmbəl/
to move hurriedly
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
Sid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
snakenounUS /sneɪk/
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading Sid dropped his rifle and fell on the dangling lariat weaving like a snake through the grass.
snarlverbUS /snɑːrl/
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
snortingnounUS /ˈsnɔːrtɪŋ/
an act of forcible exhalation
From this reading He dashed snorting across the ravine.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Sid dropped his rifle and fell on the dangling lariat weaving like a snake through the grass.
tugverbUS /tʌɡ/
pull hard
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading LOST CANYON For the next few seconds after that rifle shot, Sid was fully occupied.
weavingnounUS /ˈwiːvɪŋ/
creating fabric
From this reading Sid dropped his rifle and fell on the dangling lariat weaving like a snake through the grass.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading The black head, whatever it was, disappeared in the cloud of smoke from the rifle muzzle, and Sid heard a hoarse, ropy, animal snarl and a scramble in the bushes up on the cliff ledges.
whinnyverb
make a characteristic sound, of a horse
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But Pinto had reared high in the air at the shot, and, with a whinny of terror and a frantic tug of his head, had broken the picket lariat.
