used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He gave quietly under the pressure until he had slid down almost to his hands and knees.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
belongingnounUS /bɪˈlɔːŋɪŋ/
happiness felt in a secure relationship
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
brutaladjectiveUS /ˈbruːtəl/
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading They forced him down, down in the suffocating darkness, a brutal image of destiny.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the Major's head, though upside down, was perfectly clear and intellectual.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
cavitynounUS /ˈkævəti/
a sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
rid of obstructions
From this reading But the Major's head, though upside down, was perfectly clear and intellectual.
without doubt or question
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
destinynounUS /ˈdestəni/
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading They forced him down, down in the suffocating darkness, a brutal image of destiny.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They forced him down, down in the suffocating darkness, a brutal image of destiny.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading They forced him down, down in the suffocating darkness, a brutal image of destiny.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He gave quietly under the pressure until he had slid down almost to his hands and knees.
giganticadjectiveUS /dʒaɪˈɡæntɪk/
so exceedingly large or extensive as to suggest a giant or mammoth
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He gave quietly under the pressure until he had slid down almost to his hands and knees.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
an iconic mental representation
From this reading They forced him down, down in the suffocating darkness, a brutal image of destiny.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind
From this reading But the Major's head, though upside down, was perfectly clear and intellectual.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading He gave quietly under the pressure until he had slid down almost to his hands and knees.
Major'snounUS /ˈmeɪdʒərz/
possessive form of “major” — a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain
From this reading But the Major's head, though upside down, was perfectly clear and intellectual.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
matchesnounUS /ˈmætʃəz/
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
held or filled or in use
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading But the Major's head, though upside down, was perfectly clear and intellectual.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
pressurenounUS /ˈpreʃər/
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading He gave quietly under the pressure until he had slid down almost to his hands and knees.
with low volume
From this reading He gave quietly under the pressure until he had slid down almost to his hands and knees.
precisely, exactly
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
slidverbUS /slɪd/
inflected form of “slide” — move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading He gave quietly under the pressure until he had slid down almost to his hands and knees.
slimyadjectiveUS /ˈslaɪmi/
covered with or resembling slime
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
staturenounUS /ˈstætʃər/
high level of respect gained by impressive development or achievement
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
suffocatingadjectiveUS /ˈsʌfəkeɪtɪŋ/
causing difficulty in breathing especially through lack of fresh air and presence of heat
From this reading They forced him down, down in the suffocating darkness, a brutal image of destiny.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He flung open the door of a black cavity and stepped in, feeling in his pocket for matches.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They forced him down, down in the suffocating darkness, a brutal image of destiny.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading But the Major's head, though upside down, was perfectly clear and intellectual.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He gave quietly under the pressure until he had slid down almost to his hands and knees.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading He gave quietly under the pressure until he had slid down almost to his hands and knees.
upsidenounUS /ˈʌpˈsaɪd/
the highest or uppermost side of anything
From this reading But the Major's head, though upside down, was perfectly clear and intellectual.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As his right hand was thus occupied, a pair of great slimy hands came out of the darkness, hands clearly belonging to a man of gigantic stature, and seized him by the back of the head.
