used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Well, what do you think about that?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then they halted sharply, dropped their burden and straightened up.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading Then they halted sharply, dropped their burden and straightened up.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well, what do you think about that?"
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Then they halted sharply, dropped their burden and straightened up.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "It's a girl," exclaimed one of the pair in a low voice.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
a young female
From this reading "It's a girl," exclaimed one of the pair in a low voice.
haltedverbUS /ˈhɔːltəd/
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading Then they halted sharply, dropped their burden and straightened up.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
Harriet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
hipnounUS /hɪp/
either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a girl," exclaimed one of the pair in a low voice.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "It's a girl," exclaimed one of the pair in a low voice.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading "It's a girl," exclaimed one of the pair in a low voice.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
PROCEEDINGnounUS /prəˈsiːdɪŋ/
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
precisely, exactly
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
secondsnounUS /ˈsekəndz/
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading Then they halted sharply, dropped their burden and straightened up.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
straightenedverbUS /ˈstreɪtənd/
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading Then they halted sharply, dropped their burden and straightened up.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Well, what do you think about that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Then they halted sharply, dropped their burden and straightened up.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then they halted sharply, dropped their burden and straightened up.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Well, what do you think about that?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then they halted sharply, dropped their burden and straightened up.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "It's a girl," exclaimed one of the pair in a low voice.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, what do you think about that?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, what do you think about that?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
withdrawnadjectiveUS /wɪθˈdrɔːn/
withdrawn from society; seeking solitude
From this reading The right hand of one of them slipped to his hip pocket, then a few seconds later was slowly withdrawn with a handkerchief in it.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading A STRANGE PROCEEDING They did not appear to see her until Harriet was within a few yards of them.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, what do you think about that?"
