used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA.
acridadjectiveUS /ˈæk.rɪd/
Having an unpleasantly bitter or pungent taste or smell.
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
agonizingadjectiveUS /ˈæɡənaɪzɪŋ/
extremely painful
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
alarmingadjectiveUS /əˈlɑːrmɪŋ/
frightening because of an awareness of danger
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
arousedadjectiveUS /ərˈaʊzd/
aroused to action
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
breathlessadjectiveUS /ˈbreθləs/
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
carvedadjectiveUS /kɑːrvd/
made for or formed by carving (“carven” is archaic or literary)
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
cigarettesnounUS /ˌsɪɡərˈets/
plural of “cigarette” — finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
DILEMMAnounUS /dɪˈlemə/
state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options
From this reading THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
divisible by two
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
at any time
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
feweradjectiveUS /ˈfjuːər/
(comparative of “few” used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
hidingnounUS /ˈhaɪdɪŋ/
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
HORNSnounUS /hɔːrnz/
plural of “horn” — a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it
From this reading THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
limbnounUS /lɪm/
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
the force of workers available
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
Nat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
nostrilsnounUS /ˈnɑːstrəlz/
plural of “nostril” — either one of the two external openings to the nasal cavity in the nose
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
odornounUS /ˈoʊdər/
any property detected by the olfactory system
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
scentnounUS /sɛnt/
A distinctive smell or aroma.
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
not in physical motion
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
suspensenounUS /səˈspens/
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
suspicionsnounUS /səˈspɪʃənz/
plural of “suspicion” — an impression that something might be the case
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
underwentverbUS /ˌʌndərˈwent/
inflected form of “undergo” — pass through
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading So close were the men to his hiding place that his nostrils could scent the sharp, acrid odor of their cigarettes.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Few men, and still fewer boys, have ever been called upon to face the agonizing suspense which Nat underwent in the next few seconds.
winkverbUS /wɪŋk/
signal by winking
From this reading He did not even dare to wink his eyes for fear of alarming the already aroused suspicions of the two men below him.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading He was still enough as he crouched breathless upon the limb to have been carved out of wood, like the branch upon which he rested.
