used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
acceptancenounUS /ækˈseptəns/
the mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true
From this reading This frigid acceptance of a great blow surprised him.
affectverbUS /əˈfekt/
have an effect upon
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
exhale hard
From this reading This frigid acceptance of a great blow surprised him.
breakdownnounUS /ˈbreɪkdaʊn/
the act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue
From this reading Labar had expected either a breakdown or a vast explosion of passion.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
certaintynounUS /ˈsɜːrtənti/
the state of being certain
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
chewingnounUS /ˈtʃuːɪŋ/
biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
cigarnounUS /sɪˈɡɑːr/
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
disasternounUS /dɪˈzæstər/
a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
one or the other of two
From this reading Labar had expected either a breakdown or a vast explosion of passion.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading Labar had expected either a breakdown or a vast explosion of passion.
explosionnounUS /ɪkˈsploʊʒən/
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading Labar had expected either a breakdown or a vast explosion of passion.
frigidadjectiveUS /ˈfrɪdʒəd/
sexually unresponsive
From this reading This frigid acceptance of a great blow surprised him.
gaitnounUS /ɡeɪt/
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
Gertstein
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This frigid acceptance of a great blow surprised him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
inspectornounUS /ˌɪnˈspektər/
a high ranking police officer
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
interviewsnounUS /ˈɪntərvjuːz/
plural of “interview” — the questioning of a person (or a conversation in which information is elicited); often conducted by journalists
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
Labar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
not any; not one
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Labar had expected either a breakdown or a vast explosion of passion.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Labar had expected either a breakdown or a vast explosion of passion.
outburstsnounUS /ˈaʊtbɜːrsts/
plural of “outburst” — an unrestrained expression of emotion
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading Labar had expected either a breakdown or a vast explosion of passion.
phrasesnounUS /ˈfreɪzəz/
plural of “phrase” — an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
uttered with a trill
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
selectedadjectiveUS /səˈlektɪd/
chosen in preference to another
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
strodeverbUS /stroʊd/
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading This frigid acceptance of a great blow surprised him.
express in words
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
temperamentaladjectiveUS /ˌtemprəˈmentəl/
relating to or caused by temperament
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This frigid acceptance of a great blow surprised him.
push forcefully
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
trousersnounUS /ˈtraʊzərz/
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Labar had expected either a breakdown or a vast explosion of passion.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
belonging to which person
From this reading The little man, whose interviews with the inspector hitherto had been marked by temperamental outbursts, was now as cold as ice.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Gertstein, chewing a cold cigar, and with hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets, strode with rolling gait about the room while Labar told in carefully selected phrases the truth about his wife.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
in the company of; together with
From this reading No one can tell with certainty how a great disaster will affect a man.
