used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
abruptadjectiveUS /əˈbrʌpt/
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
butterfliesnounUS /ˈbʌtərflaɪz/
plural of “butterfly” — diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
constrainedadjectiveUS /kənˈstreɪnd/
lacking spontaneity; not natural
From this reading "Hello!" said he, in a constrained voice.
Darrow'snounUS /ˈderoʊz/
possessive form of “darrow” — United States lawyer famous for his defense of lost causes (1857-1938)
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
dashverbUS /dæʃ/
run or move very quickly or hastily
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
drapedadjectiveUS /dreɪpt/
covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
being one more than seven
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
embroideredverbUS /emˈbrɔɪdərd/
past form of “embroider” — decorate with needlework
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
excitedlyadverbUS /ɪkˈsaɪtədli/
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
a boy or man
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
set up or found
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
HellonounUS /həˈloʊ/
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hello!" said he, in a constrained voice.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
a small worthless amount
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
and nothing more
From this reading "Just up?"
kimononounUS /kəˈmoʊnə/
a loose robe; imitated from robes originally worn by Japanese
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
light-blueadjective
of a light shade of blue
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
methodicallyadverbUS /məˈθɑːdɪkəli/
in a methodical manner
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
pale-pink
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
PercynounUS /ˈpɜːrsi/
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
a light shade of red
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
promptlyadverbUS /ˈprɑːmptli/
with little or no delay
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
responsenounUS /rɪˈspɑːns/
a result
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
safety-razor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Hello!" said he, in a constrained voice.
SCIENTISTnounUS /ˈsaɪəntɪst/
a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
scrapingnounUS /ˈskreɪpɪŋ/
(usually plural) a fragment scraped off of something and collected
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Just up?"
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Hello!" said he, in a constrained voice.
Warford
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A SCIENTIST IN PINK SILK The next morning promptly at eight o'clock Jack Warford, in response to a muttered invitation, burst excitedly into Percy Darrow's room.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He found the scientist, draped in a pale-pink silk kimono embroidered with light-blue butterflies, scraping methodically at his face with a safety-razor.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading At the sight the young fellow came to an abrupt stop, as though some one had met him with a dash of cold water in the face.
