used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “What did he run away for, then?”
bangedverbUS /bæŋd/
past form of “bang” — strike violently
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
blandadjectiveUS /blænd/
lacking taste or flavor or tang
From this reading “That one of my frens,” explained the bland Chinee.
a youthful male person
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
Chinamannoun
(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Chinese descent
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
Chinee
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That one of my frens,” explained the bland Chinee.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “What did he run away for, then?”
dingyadjectiveUS /ˈdɪndʒi/
thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
dodgedverbUS /dɑːdʒd/
past form of “dodge” — make a sudden movement in a new direction so as to avoid
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “That one of my frens,” explained the bland Chinee.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “What did he run away for, then?”
frens
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That one of my frens,” explained the bland Chinee.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
harboredverbUS /ˈhɑːrbərd/
past form of “harbor” — maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
ill-lighted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
indicatingverbUS /ˈɪndəkeɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
Melican
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “That one of my frens,” explained the bland Chinee.
navaladjectiveUS /ˈneɪvəl/
connected with or belonging to or used in a navy
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
Ned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
not any; not one
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
oilyadjectiveUS /ˈɔɪli/
containing an unusual amount of grease or oil
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “That one of my frens,” explained the bland Chinee.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
protestingverbUS /prəˈtestɪŋ/
-ing form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “What did he run away for, then?”
plural of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
slamverbUS /slæm/
close violently
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
swornadjectiveUS /swɔːrn/
bound by or as if by an oath
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
having passed out of existence
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
weepingly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Close behind him was the fat, oily Chinaman, protesting, almost weepingly, that he harbored no “’Melican sailors.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What did he run away for, then?”
which person or people
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
whoever
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boy could have sworn that he caught sight of a naval uniform as whoever had opened the door slipped through it and vanished.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Who was it that dodged into that room, then?” demanded Ned, indicating a door at the farther end of the dingy, ill-lighted room, that had banged to with a slam as he entered.
