used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A MAN OF QUEER MANNERS.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
the two together, not just one
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
plural of “cry” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
Dacre
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
emergedverbUS /ɪˈmɜːrdʒd/
past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment
From this reading From the margin of woods surrounding the swamp, there suddenly emerged the figure of a rough-looking man.
encounteredverbUS /ɪnˈkaʊntərd/
past form of “encounter” — come together
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
feebleadjectiveUS /ˈfiːbəl/
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading From the margin of woods surrounding the swamp, there suddenly emerged the figure of a rough-looking man.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
a small worthless amount
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
Jack'snounUS /dʒæks/
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
and nothing more
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
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 As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
MacTavish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A MAN OF QUEER MANNERS.
social deportment
From this reading A MAN OF QUEER MANNERS.
marginnounUS /ˈmɑːrdʒən/
the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary
From this reading From the margin of woods surrounding the swamp, there suddenly emerged the figure of a rough-looking man.
a particular point in time
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A MAN OF QUEER MANNERS.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
one of four equal parts
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading A MAN OF QUEER MANNERS.
readersnounUS /ˈriːdərz/
plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
recallverbUS /ˈriːkɔːl/
recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
rough-looking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the margin of woods surrounding the swamp, there suddenly emerged the figure of a rough-looking man.
Identical; not different.
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
SandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
slimeverbUS /slaɪm/
cover or stain with slime
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
sloughnounUS /slʌf/
necrotic tissue; a mortified or gangrenous part or mass
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
submarinenounUS /ˈsʌbməriːn/
a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
suckedverbUS /sʌkt/
past form of “suck” — draw into the mouth by creating a practical vacuum in the mouth
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading From the margin of woods surrounding the swamp, there suddenly emerged the figure of a rough-looking man.
sunkenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌŋkən/
having a sunken area
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
surroundingadjectiveUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋ/
closely encircling
From this reading From the margin of woods surrounding the swamp, there suddenly emerged the figure of a rough-looking man.
swampverbUS /swɑːmp/
drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
From this reading From the margin of woods surrounding the swamp, there suddenly emerged the figure of a rough-looking man.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
in or at that place or location
From this reading From the margin of woods surrounding the swamp, there suddenly emerged the figure of a rough-looking man.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
treacherousadjectiveUS /ˈtretʃərəs/
dangerously unstable and unpredictable
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
unsuspectedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnsəˈspektɪd/
not suspected or believed likely
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
at the time that
From this reading Jack's cries were beginning to grow feeble, when aid appeared from an unsuspected quarter.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading As our readers will recall, we left both lads in about as bad a situation as could be imagined.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading From the margin of woods surrounding the swamp, there suddenly emerged the figure of a rough-looking man.
wrecknounUS /rek/
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading At just about the same moment that the submarine encountered the sunken wreck, Jack Dacre, as well as Sandy MacTavish, was sucked into the black and treacherous slime of the slough.
