used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Johnny and Lawrence were by the fire.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Oh, that—” Blackie did not reply at once.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
Blackie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading They were not the sort of boys who loaf about stores and pool halls, listening to cheap talk.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Johnny and Lawrence were by the fire.
cheapadjectiveUS /tʃiːp/
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading They were not the sort of boys who loaf about stores and pool halls, listening to cheap talk.
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
degreesnounUS /dɪˈɡriːz/
plural of “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Oh, that—” Blackie did not reply at once.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Johnny and Lawrence were by the fire.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
frostyadjectiveUS /ˈfrɔːsti/
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
hallsnounUS /hɔːlz/
plural of “hall” — an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading They were not the sort of boys who loaf about stores and pool halls, listening to cheap talk.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
Joe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
“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 Johnny and Lawrence were by the fire.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
LawrencenounUS /ˈlɔːrəns/
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
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 “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading They were not the sort of boys who loaf about stores and pool halls, listening to cheap talk.
loafnounUS /loʊf/
a shaped mass of baked bread that is usually sliced before eating
From this reading They were not the sort of boys who loaf about stores and pool halls, listening to cheap talk.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Oh, that—” Blackie did not reply at once.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, that—” Blackie did not reply at once.
on one occasion
From this reading “Oh, that—” Blackie did not reply at once.
PalmernounUS /ˈpɑːmər/
United States golfer (born in 1929)
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
poolnounUS /puːl/
an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading They were not the sort of boys who loaf about stores and pool halls, listening to cheap talk.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “Oh, that—” Blackie did not reply at once.
roaringnounUS /ˈrɔːrɪŋ/
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading They were not the sort of boys who loaf about stores and pool halls, listening to cheap talk.
steel-barrel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
store-keeper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
storesnounUS /stɔːrz/
plural of “store” — a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading They were not the sort of boys who loaf about stores and pool halls, listening to cheap talk.
stovenounUS /stoʊv/
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading They were not the sort of boys who loaf about stores and pool halls, listening to cheap talk.
express in words
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
thermometernounUS /θərˈmɑːmətər/
measuring instrument for measuring temperature
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
twenty-fiveadjectiveUS /ˈtwentifaɪv/
being five more than twenty
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Johnny and Lawrence were by the fire.
which person or people
From this reading They were not the sort of boys who loaf about stores and pool halls, listening to cheap talk.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They had walked in from the claim, a frosty three miles, with the thermometer at twenty-five degrees below.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading “Tell us how you got that game leg of yours, Blackie,” Joe Lawrence, the Palmer store-keeper, said to Blackie, as they all sat about the roaring steel-barrel stove three nights later.
