used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
accompanyingadjectiveUS /əˈkʌmpəniɪŋ/
occurring with or following as a consequence
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
(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 What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
appalledadjectiveUS /əˈpɔːld/
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
BAITINGnounUS /ˈbeɪtɪŋ/
harassment especially of a tethered animal
From this reading BAITING OLD PHIN, THE MOONSHINER.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
chumsnounUS /tʃʌmz/
plural of “chum” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
opinion or judgment
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
ill-advisedadjective
without careful prior deliberation or counsel
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
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 He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
a particular point in time
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
MOONSHINERnoun
someone who makes or sells illegal liquor
From this reading BAITING OLD PHIN, THE MOONSHINER.
used to form the superlative
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading BAITING OLD PHIN, THE MOONSHINER.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
PHIN
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BAITING OLD PHIN, THE MOONSHINER.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
retainverbUS /rɪˈteɪn/
hold back within
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
self-possessionnoun
the trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
shrunkverbUS /ʃrʌŋk/
inflected form of “shrink” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
spurnounUS /spɜːr/
a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
separate or cause to separate abruptly
From this reading But for the life of him Thad could not tear his eyes away from the face of the man himself.
THAD
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BAITING OLD PHIN, THE MOONSHINER.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
threateningadjectiveUS /ˈθretənɪŋ/
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
hard to endure
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading THAD himself managed to retain his self-possession under these trying conditions.
communicated in words
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What he believed he had to fear most of all, was that one of his chums might give the secret away by some ill-advised remark, uttered under the spur of the moment.
at the time that
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He knew that they must have shrunk back, appalled, when the moonshiner made such a threatening move, accompanying his fierce words.
