used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The smell that hung heavily about it was not a nice one.
Alec
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alec asked, eyeing the view with considerable disfavour.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
AshnounUS /æʃ/
the residue that remains when something is burned
From this reading Dirty Work at the Ash Pit The ash pit proved easy to locate.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Alec asked, eyeing the view with considerable disfavour.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dirty Work at the Ash Pit The ash pit proved easy to locate.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Alec asked, eyeing the view with considerable disfavour.
depressed-looking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
DirtyadjectiveUS /ˈdɜːrti/
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading Dirty Work at the Ash Pit The ash pit proved easy to locate.
disfavournoun
the state of being out of favor
From this reading Alec asked, eyeing the view with considerable disfavour.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading Dirty Work at the Ash Pit The ash pit proved easy to locate.
eyeingverbUS /ˈaɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “eye” — look at
From this reading Alec asked, eyeing the view with considerable disfavour.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Have we got to search that?”
Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Have we got to search that?”
to a considerable degree
From this reading The smell that hung heavily about it was not a nice one.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading The smell that hung heavily about it was not a nice one.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
locateverbUS /ˈloʊkeɪt/
discover the location of; determine the place of; find by searching or examining
From this reading Dirty Work at the Ash Pit The ash pit proved easy to locate.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
mellowadjectiveUS /ˈmeloʊ/
unhurried and relaxed
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading The smell that hung heavily about it was not a nice one.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The smell that hung heavily about it was not a nice one.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The smell that hung heavily about it was not a nice one.
outhousesnounUS /ˈaʊthaʊsɪz/
plural of “outhouse” — a small outbuilding with a bench having holes through which a user can defecate
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
PitnounUS /pɪt/
A large hole in the ground, or an abyss of darkness and peril.
From this reading Dirty Work at the Ash Pit The ash pit proved easy to locate.
established beyond doubt
From this reading Dirty Work at the Ash Pit The ash pit proved easy to locate.
red-brickadjective
of or relating to British universities founded in the late 19th century or the 20th century
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
rottingnounUS /ˈrɑːtɪŋ/
(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading “Have we got to search that?”
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading The smell that hung heavily about it was not a nice one.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
confined on all sides
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The smell that hung heavily about it was not a nice one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dirty Work at the Ash Pit The ash pit proved easy to locate.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
tinsnounUS /tɪnz/
plural of “tin” — a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dirty Work at the Ash Pit The ash pit proved easy to locate.
vegetablenounUS /ˈvedʒtəbəl/
edible seeds or roots or stems or leaves or bulbs or tubers or nonsweet fruits of any of numerous herbaceous plant
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading Alec asked, eyeing the view with considerable disfavour.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Have we got to search that?”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading It lay among some outhouses and was surrounded on three sides by mellow old red-brick walls, the space within which was filled with a depressed-looking mass of rotting vegetable matter, old paper, and tins.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Dirty Work at the Ash Pit The ash pit proved easy to locate.
