used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
anew
From this reading "Climb down, ye thief," said the grim, slow voice again.
ancestorsnounUS /ˈænsestərz/
plural of “ancestor” — someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading But neither I nor any of my ancestors could ever fight well in trees.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading But neither I nor any of my ancestors could ever fight well in trees.
artillerynounUS /ɑːrˈtɪləri/
large but transportable armament
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
blunderbussnoun
a short musket of wide bore with a flared muzzle
From this reading I looked once more into the mouth of the blunderbuss.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But neither I nor any of my ancestors could ever fight well in trees.
ClimbverbUS /klaɪm/
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading "Climb down, ye thief," said the grim, slow voice again.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
recognizable; marked
From this reading I decided to climb.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Climb down, ye thief," said the grim, slow voice again.
at any time
From this reading But neither I nor any of my ancestors could ever fight well in trees.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading But neither I nor any of my ancestors could ever fight well in trees.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading "Climb down, ye thief," said the grim, slow voice again.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I looked once more into the mouth of the blunderbuss.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But neither I nor any of my ancestors could ever fight well in trees.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I looked once more into the mouth of the blunderbuss.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I looked once more into the mouth of the blunderbuss.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I looked once more into the mouth of the blunderbuss.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading I looked once more into the mouth of the blunderbuss.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading But neither I nor any of my ancestors could ever fight well in trees.
not any; not one
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading But neither I nor any of my ancestors could ever fight well in trees.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I looked once more into the mouth of the blunderbuss.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
on one occasion
From this reading I looked once more into the mouth of the blunderbuss.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Climb down, ye thief," said the grim, slow voice again.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading "Climb down, ye thief," said the grim, slow voice again.
make square
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Climb down, ye thief," said the grim, slow voice again.
thiefnounUS /θiːf/
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading "Climb down, ye thief," said the grim, slow voice again.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I decided to climb.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading But neither I nor any of my ancestors could ever fight well in trees.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
the topmost one of two
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Climb down, ye thief," said the grim, slow voice again.
(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 But neither I nor any of my ancestors could ever fight well in trees.
in the company of; together with
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If I had had my two feet square on the ground, I would have taken a turn with this man, artillery or no artillery, to see if I could get the upper hand of him.
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading "Climb down, ye thief," said the grim, slow voice again.
