used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
react verbally
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
BerrynounUS /ˈberi/
any of numerous small and pulpy edible fruits; used as desserts or in making jams and jellies and preserves
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
the two together, not just one
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Certainly."
without stop or interruption
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
DAGGERnounUS /ˈdæɡ.ər/
A short knife with a pointed and edged blade, used as a stealth weapon.
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
increase twofold
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "Excuse me," murmured Nat as he picked up the instrument.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
a person of German nationality
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
impatiencenounUS /ˌɪmˈpeɪʃəns/
a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
instrumentnounUS /ˈɪnstrəmənt/
a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading "Excuse me," murmured Nat as he picked up the instrument.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
latter'snounUS /ˈlætərz/
possessive form of “latter” — the second of two or the second mentioned of two
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Excuse me," murmured Nat as he picked up the instrument.
the force of workers available
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
a particular point in time
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "Excuse me," murmured Nat as he picked up the instrument.
mutterverbUS /ˈmʌtər/
talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
Nat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Excuse me," murmured Nat as he picked up the instrument.
Nat's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading "Excuse me," murmured Nat as he picked up the instrument.
recollectingverbUS /ˌrekəˈlektɪŋ/
-ing form of “recollect” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
sleuth's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
suitenounUS /swiːt/
a musical composition of several movements only loosely connected
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
summonsnounUS /ˈsʌmənz/
a request to be present
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
telephonenounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
ToddnounUS /tɑːd/
Scottish chemist noted for his research into the structure of nucleic acids (born in 1907)
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading THE DOUBLE DAGGER For a moment or two the telephone bell continued to sound its summons, and both men stared at it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Excuse me," murmured Nat as he picked up the instrument.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading To Nat's ears came the voice of Berry Todd in the latter's office near the entrance to the sleuth's suite.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The German detective made a motion as though to answer, and then, recollecting that he was not in his own office, he stepped back with a mutter of impatience.
