used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
accusationsnounUS /ˌækjəˈzeɪʃənz/
plural of “accusation” — a formal charge of wrongdoing brought against a person; the act of imputing blame or guilt
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
accuseverbUS /əˈkjuːz/
bring an accusation against; level a charge against
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
affirmverbUS /əˈfɜːrm/
establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
any person at all
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Nothing in the way of defence could have been more unsatisfactory.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
chargedadjectiveUS /tʃɑːrdʒd/
of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
Chaskin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On seeing their hesitation Chaskin reiterated his speech.
Chaskin's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
committingverbUS /kəˈmɪtɪŋ/
inflected form of “commit” — perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Nothing in the way of defence could have been more unsatisfactory.
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
declarationnounUS /ˌdeklərˈeɪʃən/
a statement that is emphatic and explicit (spoken or written)
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
defencenounUS /dɪˈfens/
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
From this reading Nothing in the way of defence could have been more unsatisfactory.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
earlier in time; previously
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Nothing in the way of defence could have been more unsatisfactory.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
hesitationnounUS /ˌhezəˈteɪʃən/
indecision in speech or action
From this reading On seeing their hesitation Chaskin reiterated his speech.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
innocencenounUS /ˈɪnəsəns/
the quality of innocent naivete
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
Lovel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
engage in
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
the force of workers available
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Nothing in the way of defence could have been more unsatisfactory.
negativeadjectiveUS /ˈneɡətɪv/
characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing in the way of defence could have been more unsatisfactory.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
onusnounUS /ˈoʊnəs/
an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
provingverbUS /ˈpruːvɪŋ/
-ing form of “prove” — be shown or be found to be
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
purelyadverbUS /ˈpjʊrli/
restricted to something
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
reiteratedverbUS /riˈɪtəreɪtɪd/
past form of “reiterate” — to say, state, or perform again
From this reading On seeing their hesitation Chaskin reiterated his speech.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading On seeing their hesitation Chaskin reiterated his speech.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading On seeing their hesitation Chaskin reiterated his speech.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
unsatisfactoryadjectiveUS /ˌʌnsətɪˈsfæktəri/
not giving satisfaction
From this reading Nothing in the way of defence could have been more unsatisfactory.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He took up a purely negative attitude, and by doing so threw on Paul and Lovel the onus of proving their accusations.
VicarnounUS /ˈvɪkər/
a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Nothing in the way of defence could have been more unsatisfactory.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Vicar did not affirm his innocence, as he had done earlier in the interview; nor did he accuse anyone else of committing the crime with which he was charged.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading There was a silence after this declaration of Chaskin's, for neither of the young men knew what reply to make.
