used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AND IS CAUGHT.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Poor Bob was in a quandary as to what to do.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading AND IS CAUGHT.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Poor Bob was in a quandary as to what to do.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Poor Bob was in a quandary as to what to do.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Instantly the voices stopped.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AND IS CAUGHT.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
a small worthless amount
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
man-sizedadjective
calling for the strength of a man
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor Bob was in a quandary as to what to do.
quandarynounUS /ˈkwɑːndəri/
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
From this reading Poor Bob was in a quandary as to what to do.
(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
sleepersnounUS /ˈsliːpərz/
plural of “sleeper” — a rester who is sleeping
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
sneezenounUS /sniːz/
a symptom consisting of the involuntary expulsion of air from the nose
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Instantly the voices stopped.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Instantly the voices stopped.
wakenverbUS /ˈweɪkən/
cause to become awake or conscious
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was, as he afterward told Jack, a good man-sized sneeze, and made noise enough to waken the seven sleepers.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Poor Bob was in a quandary as to what to do.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He knew that it would be useless to beat a retreat as they would be sure to hear him and be upon him before he could much more than get started.
