used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
alligatornounUS /ˈæləɡeɪtər/
leather made from alligator's hide
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was the cocoanut tree, and there the alligator.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
barelyadverbUS /ˈberli/
only a very short time before
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There might be a landing place on the other side of that particular rocky formation.
cocoanutnoun
large hard-shelled oval nut with a fibrous husk containing thick white meat surrounding a central cavity filled (when fresh) with fluid or milk
From this reading There was the cocoanut tree, and there the alligator.
droppingadjectiveUS /ˈdrɑːpɪŋ/
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
floatingadjectiveUS /ˈfloʊtɪŋ/
borne up by or suspended in a liquid
From this reading There were two other ’gators floating silently on the surface of the pool.
formationnounUS /fɔːrˈmeɪʃən/
an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit
From this reading There might be a landing place on the other side of that particular rocky formation.
gatorsnounUS /ˈɡeɪtərz/
plural of “gator” — either of two amphibious reptiles related to crocodiles but with shorter broader snouts
From this reading There were two other ’gators floating silently on the surface of the pool.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
Havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
jawsnounUS /dʒɔːz/
plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
“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 Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
knottyadjectiveUS /ˈnɑːti/
making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading To land there was out of the question.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading There might be a landing place on the other side of that particular rocky formation.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
engage in
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading There might be a landing place on the other side of that particular rocky formation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There were two other ’gators floating silently on the surface of the pool.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading There were two other ’gators floating silently on the surface of the pool.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading To land there was out of the question.
partialadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːrʃəl/
being or affecting only a part; not total
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading There might be a landing place on the other side of that particular rocky formation.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading There might be a landing place on the other side of that particular rocky formation.
poolnounUS /puːl/
an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading There were two other ’gators floating silently on the surface of the pool.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
projectionnounUS /prəˈdʒekʃən/
a prediction made by extrapolating from past observations
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading To land there was out of the question.
rockyadjectiveUS /ˈrɑːki/
abounding in rocks or stones
From this reading There might be a landing place on the other side of that particular rocky formation.
a strong line
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading There might be a landing place on the other side of that particular rocky formation.
without speaking
From this reading There were two other ’gators floating silently on the surface of the pool.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading There were two other ’gators floating silently on the surface of the pool.
surveynounUS /sərˈveɪ/
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There might be a landing place on the other side of that particular rocky formation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was the cocoanut tree, and there the alligator.
ThompsonnounUS /ˈtɑːmpsən/
United States classical archaeologist (born in Canada) noted for leading the excavation of the Athenian agora (1906-2000)
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading There was the cocoanut tree, and there the alligator.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There were two other ’gators floating silently on the surface of the pool.
vinenounUS /vaɪn/
a plant with a weak stem that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was the cocoanut tree, and there the alligator.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were two other ’gators floating silently on the surface of the pool.
in or at the place that
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading Having barely escaped dropping into the jaws of an alligator, Johnny Thompson wound his leg about his vine rope at a spot where a knotty projection would give him partial support, then proceeded to make a sad survey of the situation.
