used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He put it back into his pocket, and strode forward and upward.
barrelsnounUS /ˈbærəlz/
the amount that many barrels might hold
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
cartridgenounUS /ˈkɑːrtrədʒ/
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical casing containing an explosive charge and a bullet; fired from a rifle or handgun
From this reading The cartridge stood for so much.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
double-barrelledadjective
having two barrels mounted side by side
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
ejectornoun
a person who ousts or supplants someone else
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
expectationsnounUS /ˌekspekˈteɪʃənz/
plural of “expectation” — belief about (or mental picture of) the future
From this reading The sight of the cartridge justified John's expectations.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The cartridge stood for so much.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading He put it back into his pocket, and strode forward and upward.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
hammerless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He put it back into his pocket, and strode forward and upward.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He put it back into his pocket, and strode forward and upward.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He put it back into his pocket, and strode forward and upward.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
John'snounUS /dʒɑːnz/
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading The sight of the cartridge justified John's expectations.
justifiedadjectiveUS /ˈdʒʌstəfaɪd/
having words so spaced that lines have straight even margins
From this reading The sight of the cartridge justified John's expectations.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
leathernounUS /ˈleðər/
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
ManchurianounUS /mænˈtʃʊriə/
a region in northeastern China
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The cartridge stood for so much.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
a son of your brother or sister
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sight of the cartridge justified John's expectations.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
and nothing more
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading He put it back into his pocket, and strode forward and upward.
polishedadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːlɪʃt/
perfected or made shiny and smooth
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He put it back into his pocket, and strode forward and upward.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The sight of the cartridge justified John's expectations.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The cartridge stood for so much.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The cartridge stood for so much.
strodeverbUS /stroʊd/
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading He put it back into his pocket, and strode forward and upward.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cartridge stood for so much.
twenty-bore
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
upwardadjectiveUS /ˈʌpwərd/
directed up
From this reading He put it back into his pocket, and strode forward and upward.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Only a week before, Uncle John, on his arrival from Manchuria, had handed his nephew a small leather case and a key.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The case held a double-barrelled, hammerless, ejector, twenty-bore gun, with a great name upon its polished blue barrels.
