used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading He admitted that he had jumped while the engine was still in motion.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
Ballard's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before he could bring the train under control he had heard the crashing of the wreck in the rear.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Before he could bring the train under control he had heard the crashing of the wreck in the rear.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
cautionnounUS /ˈkɑːʃən/
the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
power to direct or determine
From this reading Before he could bring the train under control he had heard the crashing of the wreck in the rear.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Before he could bring the train under control he had heard the crashing of the wreck in the rear.
crashingadjectiveUS /ˈkræʃɪŋ/
informal intensifiers
From this reading Before he could bring the train under control he had heard the crashing of the wreck in the rear.
curtadjectiveUS /kɜːrt/
marked by rude or peremptory shortness
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
enginenounUS /ˈendʒən/
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading He admitted that he had jumped while the engine was still in motion.
engineman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
hazinessnoun
vagueness attributable to being not clearly defined
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Before he could bring the train under control he had heard the crashing of the wreck in the rear.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
Hoskins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
inconsistencynounUS /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənsi/
the relation between propositions that cannot both be true at the same time
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading He admitted that he had jumped while the engine was still in motion.
immediately past
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading He admitted that he had jumped while the engine was still in motion.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had seen something on the track or he thought he had, and had tried to stop.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He had seen something on the track or he thought he had, and had tried to stop.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading Before he could bring the train under control he had heard the crashing of the wreck in the rear.
recitalnounUS /rəˈsaɪtəl/
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He had seen something on the track or he thought he had, and had tried to stop.
woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He had seen something on the track or he thought he had, and had tried to stop.
stealingnounUS /ˈstiːlɪŋ/
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading Last of all came Hoskins, hanging his head and looking as if he had been caught stealing sheep.
not in physical motion
From this reading He admitted that he had jumped while the engine was still in motion.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading He had seen something on the track or he thought he had, and had tried to stop.
successive (without a break)
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
stumbledverbUS /ˈstʌmbəld/
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
express in words
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He admitted that he had jumped while the engine was still in motion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He had seen something on the track or he thought he had, and had tried to stop.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had seen something on the track or he thought he had, and had tried to stop.
a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading He had seen something on the track or he thought he had, and had tried to stop.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Before he could bring the train under control he had heard the crashing of the wreck in the rear.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading He had seen something on the track or he thought he had, and had tried to stop.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Before he could bring the train under control he had heard the crashing of the wreck in the rear.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Tell it straight," was Ballard's curt caution; and the engineman stumbled through a recital in which haziness and inconsistency struggled for first place.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading He admitted that he had jumped while the engine was still in motion.
wrecknounUS /rek/
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading Before he could bring the train under control he had heard the crashing of the wreck in the rear.
