used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
amateurnounUS /ˈæmətɜːr/
someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And what an obvious idea it had been at last!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading And what an obvious idea it had been at last!
casualadjectiveUS /ˈkæʒəwəl/
marked by blithe unconcern
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
Chelsea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
DARKESTadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːrkəst/
superlative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
dejectedadjectiveUS /dɪˈdʒektɪd/
affected or marked by low spirits
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
detectivenounUS /dɪˈtektɪv/
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
divisible by two
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
the organ of sight
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
facileadjectiveUS /ˈfæsəl/
superficially impressive, but lacking depth and attention to the true complexities of a subject
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading His feeling was one of positive shame.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
glaringadjectiveUS /ˈɡlerɪŋ/
shining intensely
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading And what an obvious idea it had been at last!
improbabilitynoun
the quality of being improbable
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
immediately past
From this reading And what an obvious idea it had been at last!
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
obviousadjectiveUS /ˈɑːbviəs/
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading And what an obvious idea it had been at last!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
omnibusnounUS /ˈɑːmnəbəs/
an anthology of articles on a related subject or an anthology of the works of a single author
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading His feeling was one of positive shame.
Piccadilly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
positiveadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːzətɪv/
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading His feeling was one of positive shame.
promptings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading His feeling was one of positive shame.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
speculationsnounUS /ˌspekjəˈleɪʃənz/
plural of “speculation” — a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
the upper part of anything
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
upshotnounUS /ˈʌpʃɑːt/
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And what an obvious idea it had been at last!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.
