used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
bendingnounUS /ˈbendɪŋ/
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
brutaladjectiveUS /ˈbruːtəl/
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
bullet-headedadjective
obstinate and stupid
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
without stop or interruption
From this reading “Well,” Melun continued, “the explanation is simplicity itself.
CrowverbUS /kroʊ/
dwell on with satisfaction
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Well,” Melun continued, “the explanation is simplicity itself.
majoritynounUS /məˈdʒɔːrəti/
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading The majority of the men nodded in a surly way.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
Melun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
Melun's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
the force of workers available
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
of an obscure nature
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The majority of the men nodded in a surly way.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
pastyadjective
resembling paste in color; pallid
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
politelyadverbUS /pəˈlaɪtli/
in a polite manner
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
ranksnounUS /ræŋks/
plural of “rank” — a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
filled with satisfaction
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
shiftingadjectiveUS /ˈʃɪftɪŋ/
continuously varying
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
simplicitynounUS /sɪmˈplɪsəti/
the quality of being simple or uncompounded
From this reading “Well,” Melun continued, “the explanation is simplicity itself.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
surlyadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrli/
inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace
From this reading The majority of the men nodded in a surly way.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
twistingnounUS /ˈtwɪstɪŋ/
the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The majority of the men nodded in a surly way.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading MURDER MYSTERIOUS Melun's glance down the ranks of the men satisfied him that he had things well in hand.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The bullet-headed man was shifting about on his seat, and Crow sat with a pasty face, twisting and bending his great, brutal fingers.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Gentlemen,” said Melun, almost politely, “I expect you feel that some explanation is due from me.”
