used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
awakenedadjectiveUS /əˈweɪkənd/
aroused or activated
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
blanketnounUS /ˈblæŋkət/
bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
clearingnounUS /ˈklɪrɪŋ/
a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Get him, Purdy?"
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
glisteningadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɪsənɪŋ/
reflecting light
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
hobnails
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
immediately past
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
outlinesnounUS /ˈaʊtlaɪnz/
plural of “outline” — the line that appears to bound an object
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
protrudingadjectiveUS /proʊˈtruːdɪŋ/
extending out above or beyond a surface or boundary
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
Purdy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Get him, Purdy?"
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
snappedverbUS /snæpt/
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
with low volume
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
solesnounUS /soʊlz/
plural of “sol” — a colloid that has a continuous liquid phase in which a solid is suspended in a liquid
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
startlinglyadverbUS /ˈstɑːrtlɪŋliː/
in a startling manner
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
TREEDadjective
forced to turn and face attackers
From this reading TREED Johnny awakened at the shot and softly rolled out of his blanket.
twigverbUS /twɪɡ/
branch out in a twiglike manner
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The fire was nearly out, but an occasional burst of flame from the end of the last stick served to show him the outlines of the little tent and the glistening hobnails in the soles of the protruding boots.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A voice some distance behind him called out to a figure which appeared like a ghost upon the edge of the little clearing.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A bush stirred and a careless step snapped a twig with a report startlingly loud in the night.
