used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Chief Engineer of the Trinity House was a man of few words.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
a person who is in charge
From this reading The Chief Engineer of the Trinity House was a man of few words.
clambering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
coatedadjectiveUS /ˈkoʊtəd/
having a coating; covered with an outer layer or film; often used in combination
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
EngineernounUS /ˈendʒəˈnɪr/
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading The Chief Engineer of the Trinity House was a man of few words.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The Chief Engineer of the Trinity House was a man of few words.
footholdnounUS /ˈfʊthoʊld/
an area in hostile territory that has been captured and is held awaiting further troops and supplies
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Now and then he paused for a pinch of snuff.
foundationsnounUS /faʊnˈdeɪʃənz/
plural of “foundation” — the basis on which something is grounded
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The Chief Engineer of the Trinity House was a man of few words.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading THE SERVICE OF THE LAMP.
light-house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The Chief Engineer of the Trinity House was a man of few words.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now and then he paused for a pinch of snuff.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SERVICE OF THE LAMP.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Now and then he paused for a pinch of snuff.
peeringverbUS /ˈpiːrɪŋ/
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
pinchverbUS /pɪntʃ/
squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading Now and then he paused for a pinch of snuff.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading THE SERVICE OF THE LAMP.
slipperyadjectiveUS /ˈslɪpəri/
causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
snuffnounUS /snʌf/
the charred portion of a candlewick
From this reading Now and then he paused for a pinch of snuff.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
TaffynounUS /ˈtæfi/
chewy candy of sugar or syrup boiled until thick and pulled until glossy
From this reading He and Taffy had spent the afternoon clambering about the rocks below the light-house, peering into its foundations.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SERVICE OF THE LAMP.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Now and then he paused for a pinch of snuff.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
TrinitynounUS /ˈtrɪnəti/
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The Chief Engineer of the Trinity House was a man of few words.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Chief Engineer of the Trinity House was a man of few words.
weednounUS /wiːd/
any plant that crowds out cultivated plants
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
in or at the place that
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Here and there, where weed coated the rocks and made foothold slippery, he took the hand which Taffy held out.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The Chief Engineer of the Trinity House was a man of few words.
