used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
abnormallyadverbUS /æbˈnɔːrməli/
in an abnormal manner
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Be kind to him!”
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
chemicalsnounUS /ˈkemɪkəlz/
plural of “chemical” — material produced by or used in a reaction involving changes in atoms or molecules
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
a young person of either sex
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
clothing in general
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
dabblingverbUS /ˈdæbəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “dabble” — dip a foot or hand briefly into a liquid
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Hop Wong was the very personification of fear.
a boy or man
From this reading “Oh, the poor fellow!” murmured Ruth, with ready sympathy.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
set up or found
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
garmentsnounUS /ˈɡɑːrmənts/
plural of “garment” — an article of clothing
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
hold firmly
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Be kind to him!”
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
HopverbUS /hɑːp/
jump lightly
From this reading Hop Wong was the very personification of fear.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “Be kind to him!”
large or big relative to something else
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
laundrymen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
the force of workers available
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “Oh, the poor fellow!” murmured Ruth, with ready sympathy.
nailsnounUS /neɪlz/
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
not any; not one
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Hop Wong was the very personification of fear.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, the poor fellow!” murmured Ruth, with ready sympathy.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
personificationnounUS /pərˌsɑːnəfəˈkeɪʃən/
a person who represents an abstract quality
From this reading Hop Wong was the very personification of fear.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Oh, the poor fellow!” murmured Ruth, with ready sympathy.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
on the contrary
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading “Oh, the poor fellow!” murmured Ruth, with ready sympathy.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “Oh, the poor fellow!” murmured Ruth, with ready sympathy.
shrinkverbUS /ʃrɪŋk/
wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
soapnounUS /soʊp/
a cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading “Oh, the poor fellow!” murmured Ruth, with ready sympathy.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hop Wong was the very personification of fear.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Be kind to him!”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
the act of using
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
precisely as stated
From this reading Hop Wong was the very personification of fear.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Hop Wong was the very personification of fear.
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 Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
at the time that
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
a Caucasian
From this reading Hop Wong heard her and held out his queer hands with their rather long nails—hands abnormally clean from much dabbling in soap, water and whatever chemicals the Chinese laundrymen use for making clothes white.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Oh, the poor fellow!” murmured Ruth, with ready sympathy.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
Wong
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hop Wong was the very personification of fear.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading He was a small Chinese at best, but now he appeared no larger than a child, so much did he shrink within his garments when he found himself in the grasp of the two young men.
