Chapter V · A Shot from Ambush

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading One window she passed in safety, another and another.

weapons considered collectively

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

have

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point

From this reading The palms of her hands burned like fire.

the act of burning something

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

a state in which all hope is lost or absent

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading As she reached the sill of the fourth her feet touched it.

start firing a weapon

From this reading The palms of her hands burned like fire.

following the third position; number four in a countable series

From this reading As she reached the sill of the fourth her feet touched it.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

understanding with difficulty

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

greater in size or importance or degree

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

highest in quality

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading The palms of her hands burned like fire.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading As she reached the sill of the fourth her feet touched it.

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading The palms of her hands burned like fire.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One window she passed in safety, another and another.

above and across; more than

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

plural of “palm” — the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers

From this reading The palms of her hands burned like fire.

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading One window she passed in safety, another and another.

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading As she reached the sill of the fourth her feet touched it.

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

a strong line

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions

From this reading One window she passed in safety, another and another.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

structural member consisting of a continuous horizontal timber forming the lowest member of a framework or supporting structure

From this reading As she reached the sill of the fourth her feet touched it.

inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

plural of “slip” — a socially awkward or tactless act

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

in or at that place or location

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

having come into contact

From this reading As she reached the sill of the fourth her feet touched it.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading In spite of her greatest efforts her hands slipped a little, an inch here, an inch there, and the effect of these slips was like the grasping of a red hot iron.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

in the company of; together with

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.

past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading The strain on Mazie’s arms as she let herself down the rope which hung from the window of the burning building seemed greater than she could bear; but with the grim determination of near despair she worked her way down, hand over hand, hand over hand.