used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
the two together, not just one
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
bouldersnounUS /ˈboʊldərz/
plural of “boulder” — a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Rathburn did not reply.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
a quad with a square body
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
frowningadjectiveUS /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE REAL LOW-DOWN They rode on in silence.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
LOW-DOWNadjective
of the most contemptible kind
From this reading THE REAL LOW-DOWN They rode on in silence.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Rathburn did not reply.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE REAL LOW-DOWN They rode on in silence.
outcroppings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
PercynounUS /ˈpɜːrsi/
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
continue talking
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
Rathburn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rathburn did not reply.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading THE REAL LOW-DOWN They rode on in silence.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading Rathburn did not reply.
ridgenounUS /rɪdʒ/
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading THE REAL LOW-DOWN They rode on in silence.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
shalenounUS /ʃeɪl/
a sedimentary rock formed by the deposition of successive layers of clay
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
shrugnounUS /ʃrʌɡ/
a gesture involving the shoulders
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading THE REAL LOW-DOWN They rode on in silence.
slidingadjectiveUS /ˈslaɪdɪŋ/
being a smooth continuous motion
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
an elevated geological formation
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
spotsnounUS /spɑːts/
spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
studdedadjectiveUS /ˈstʌdɪd/
dotted or adorned with or as with studs or nailheads; usually used in combination
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE REAL LOW-DOWN They rode on in silence.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE REAL LOW-DOWN They rode on in silence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
at the time that
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
which person or people
From this reading "If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us," said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings.
