used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Nobody about.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
Billy'snounUS /ˈbɪliz/
possessive form of “billy” — a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
decidedlyadverbUS /ˌdɪˈsaɪdədli/
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
make void or empty of contents
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
the organ of sight
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
glimpsedverbUS /ɡlɪmpst/
past form of “glimpse” — catch a glimpse of or see briefly
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
gratedverbUS /ˈɡreɪtɪd/
past form of “grate” — furnish with a grate
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
the act of retaining something
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
the act of departing
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
hear with intention
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody about.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
and nothing more
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
a raised horizontal surface
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
railnounUS /reɪl/
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
receivernounUS /rəˈsiːvər/
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
ringingnounUS /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “That you Sam?
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
scannedverbUS /skænd/
inflected form of “scan” — examine minutely or intensely
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
an instance of visual perception
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
deliver by singing
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
telephonenounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That you Sam?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
having passed out of existence
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
weightyadjectiveUS /ˈweɪti/
having relatively great weight; heavy
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Billy's eye came round the corner of the window, scanned the empty platform, glimpsed the office desk inside and the weighty figure holding the receiver, then vanished enough to be out of sight, leaving only a wide curious ear to listen:
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading The rail was beginning to sing decidedly now and the telephone inside the grated window suddenly sat up a furious ringing.
Yep
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yep.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “That you Sam?
