used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading SCOTLAND YARD TAKES A HAND IT was raining hard.
afloatadjectiveUS /əˈfloʊt/
aimlessly drifting
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
(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 Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
astonishingadjectiveUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃɪŋ/
surprising greatly
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
automobilesnounUS /ˈɔːtəmoʊbiːlz/
plural of “automobile” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Headlights of automobiles drawn up to the curb blazed dimly through the screen of water.
awningnounUS /ˈɑːnɪŋ/
a canopy made of canvas to shelter people or things from rain or sun
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading He peered out beyond the narrow opening left for pedestrians and groaned.
blazedverbUS /bleɪzd/
past form of “blaze” — shine brightly and intensively
From this reading Headlights of automobiles drawn up to the curb blazed dimly through the screen of water.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
canvasnounUS /ˈkænvəs/
a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
conquestnounUS /ˈkɑːŋkwest/
the act of conquering
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
curbnounUS /kɜːrb/
an edge between a sidewalk and a roadway consisting of a line of curbstones (usually forming part of a gutter)
From this reading Headlights of automobiles drawn up to the curb blazed dimly through the screen of water.
dimlyadverbUS /ˈdɪmli/
in a dim indistinct manner
From this reading Headlights of automobiles drawn up to the curb blazed dimly through the screen of water.
dismaynounUS /dɪˈsmeɪ/
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading Headlights of automobiles drawn up to the curb blazed dimly through the screen of water.
elatedadjectiveUS /ɪˈleɪtəd/
exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He peered out beyond the narrow opening left for pedestrians and groaned.
groanedverbUS /ɡroʊnd/
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading He peered out beyond the narrow opening left for pedestrians and groaned.
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading SCOTLAND YARD TAKES A HAND IT was raining hard.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading SCOTLAND YARD TAKES A HAND IT was raining hard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He peered out beyond the narrow opening left for pedestrians and groaned.
HeadlightsnounUS /ˈhedlaɪts/
plural of “headlight” — a powerful light with reflector; attached to the front of an automobile or locomotive
From this reading Headlights of automobiles drawn up to the curb blazed dimly through the screen of water.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading SCOTLAND YARD TAKES A HAND IT was raining hard.
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 He peered out beyond the narrow opening left for pedestrians and groaned.
mattingnounUS /ˈmætɪŋ/
a covering of coarse fabric (usually of straw or hemp)
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading He peered out beyond the narrow opening left for pedestrians and groaned.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading He peered out beyond the narrow opening left for pedestrians and groaned.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He peered out beyond the narrow opening left for pedestrians and groaned.
pedestriansnounUS /pəˈdestriənz/
plural of “pedestrian” — a person who travels by foot
From this reading He peered out beyond the narrow opening left for pedestrians and groaned.
peeredverbUS /pɪrd/
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading He peered out beyond the narrow opening left for pedestrians and groaned.
peltingnounUS /ˈpeltɪŋ/
anything happening rapidly or in quick successive
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
rainingadjectiveUS /ˈreɪnɪŋ/
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading SCOTLAND YARD TAKES A HAND IT was raining hard.
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading SCOTLAND YARD TAKES A HAND IT was raining hard.
screennounUS /skriːn/
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading Headlights of automobiles drawn up to the curb blazed dimly through the screen of water.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
sidewalknounUS /ˈsaɪdwɔːk/
walk consisting of a paved area for pedestrians; usually beside a street or roadway
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
StuyvesantnounUS /ˈstaɪvəsənt/
the last Dutch colonial administrator of New Netherland; in 1664 he was forced to surrender the colony to England (1592-1672)
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
possessing sweep
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading SCOTLAND YARD TAKES A HAND IT was raining hard.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading Stuyvesant, thoroughly alarmed and not at all elated by his astonishing conquest, halted in dismay.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Headlights of automobiles drawn up to the curb blazed dimly through the screen of water.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
torrentnounUS /ˈtɔːrənt/
a heavy rain
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The pelting torrent swept up against the side of the canvas awning that extended to the street; the thick matting on the sidewalk was almost afloat.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading SCOTLAND YARD TAKES A HAND IT was raining hard.
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 Headlights of automobiles drawn up to the curb blazed dimly through the screen of water.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading SCOTLAND YARD TAKES A HAND IT was raining hard.
