adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/
(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 SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
AndeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An ideal perch.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
AustralianounUS /ɔːˈstreɪljə/
a nation occupying the whole of the Australian continent; Aboriginal tribes are thought to have migrated from southeastern Asia 20,000 years ago; first Europeans were British convicts sent there as a penal colony
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
baulks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
boilingnounUS /ˈbɔɪlɪŋ/
the application of heat to change something from a liquid to a gas
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
brignounUS /brɪɡ/
two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on both masts
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
caboosenounUS /kəˈbuːs/
the area for food preparation on a ship
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
causedverbUS /kɑːzd/
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
cumbered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
Daddy'snounUS /ˈdædiz/
possessive form of “daddy” — an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
decknounUS /dek/
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
DicknounUS /dɪk/
someone who is a detective
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/
one or the other of two
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
ferventadjectiveUS /ˈfɜːrvənt/
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
goldnounUS /ɡoʊld/
coins made of gold
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
heatnounUS /hiːt/
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
heaveverbUS /hiːv/
utter a sound, as with obvious effort
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
idealadjectiveUS /aɪˈdiːl/
conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
From this reading An ideal perch.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
INprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
likeverbUS /laɪk/
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
miragenounUS /mərˈɑːʒ/
an optical illusion in which atmospheric refraction by a layer of hot air distorts or inverts reflections of distant objects
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
MOONLIGHTnounUS /ˈmuːnlaɪt/
the light of the Moon
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
mysterynounUS /ˈmɪstəri/
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
perchnounUS /pɜːrtʃ/
support consisting of a branch or rod that serves as a resting place (especially for a bird)
From this reading An ideal perch.
saidadjectiveUS /sed/
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
seanounUS /siː/
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
seatedadjectiveUS /ˈsiːtɪd/
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
seemedverbUS /siːmd/
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
settingnounUS /ˈsetɪŋ/
the context and environment in which something is set
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
SHADOWSnounUS /ˈʃædoʊz/
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
sidenounUS /saɪd/
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
SomeadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
suddenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌdən/
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
sunnounUS /sʌn/
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
timbernounUS /ˈtɪmbər/
the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
timenounUS /taɪm/
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT “Daddy’s a long time coming,” said Dick all of a sudden.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
trembleverbUS /ˈtrembəl/
move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
troubledadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌbəld/
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Some mystery of mirage caused the water to heave and tremble as if troubled by fervent heat.
waynounUS /weɪ/
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The sun was setting over Australia way, in a sea that seemed like a sea of boiling gold.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were seated on the baulks of timber that cumbered the deck of the brig on either side of the caboose.
