used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Now, Mark, frisk the cuss, and be lively about it.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
automaticadjectiveUS /ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk/
operating with minimal human intervention; independent of external control
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Now, Mark, frisk the cuss, and be lively about it.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
coldlyadverbUS /ˈkoʊldli/
lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner
From this reading "Not a move, you damned spy," a voice said coldly.
confrontedverbUS /kənˈfrʌntəd/
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
cussnounUS /kʌs/
a persistently annoying person
From this reading "Now, Mark, frisk the cuss, and be lively about it.
damnedadjectiveUS /dæmd/
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "Not a move, you damned spy," a voice said coldly.
without deviation
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
opinion or judgment
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
friskverbUS /frɪsk/
play boisterously
From this reading "Now, Mark, frisk the cuss, and be lively about it.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Give it to me.
glaredverbUS /ɡlerd/
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
grippedverbUS /ɡrɪpt/
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading Had a gun, hey; I thought so.
Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had a gun, hey; I thought so.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
hey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had a gun, hey; I thought so.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Had a gun, hey; I thought so.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
Joe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
KIDNAPPEDverbUS /ˈkɪdnæpt/
inflected form of “kidnap” — take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
full of life and energy
From this reading "Now, Mark, frisk the cuss, and be lively about it.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading "Now, Mark, frisk the cuss, and be lively about it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Give it to me.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Not a move, you damned spy," a voice said coldly.
muzzlenounUS /ˈmʌzəl/
the open circular discharging end of a gun
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not a move, you damned spy," a voice said coldly.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, Mark, frisk the cuss, and be lively about it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Not a move, you damned spy," a voice said coldly.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Had a gun, hey; I thought so.
spyverbUS /spaɪ/
catch sight of
From this reading "Not a move, you damned spy," a voice said coldly.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Had a gun, hey; I thought so.
threateningadjectiveUS /ˈθretənɪŋ/
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Give it to me.
visenounUS /vaɪs/
a holding device attached to a workbench; has two jaws to hold workpiece firmly in place
From this reading KIDNAPPED A hand gripped his shoulder as though in a vise, and swung him around; the muzzle of an automatic confronted him, and behind it the threatening eyes of Joe glared directly into his own.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Not a move, you damned spy," a voice said coldly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Not a move, you damned spy," a voice said coldly.
