used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
coarsest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading However he was plucky enough to show fight.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Santiago entered the room quite unsuspiciously.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading However he was plucky enough to show fight.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
hearth-rug
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
HerricknounUS /ˈherɪk/
English lyric poet (1591-1674)
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However he was plucky enough to show fight.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
set afire or burning
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
lucrativeadjectiveUS /ˈluːkrətɪv/
producing a sizeable profit
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
a particular point in time
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
oathnounUS /oʊθ/
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
plottingverbUS /ˈplɑːtɪŋ/
inflected form of “plot” — plan secretly, usually something illegal
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
pluckyadjectiveUS /ˈplʌki/
marked by courage and determination in the face of difficulties or danger; robust and uninhibited
From this reading However he was plucky enough to show fight.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Santiago entered the room quite unsuspiciously.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Santiago entered the room quite unsuspiciously.
SantiagonounUS /ˌsæntiˈɑːɡoʊ/
city in the northern Dominican Republic
From this reading Santiago entered the room quite unsuspiciously.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading However he was plucky enough to show fight.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
having a supporting base
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
successfullyadverbUS /səkˈsesfəli/
with success; in a successful manner
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Santiago entered the room quite unsuspiciously.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading However he was plucky enough to show fight.
unsuspiciously
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Santiago entered the room quite unsuspiciously.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading In a moment his astonished eyes lighted upon Herrick, standing tall and smiling on the hearth-rug.
villainynoun
the quality of evil by virtue of villainous behavior
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His step was light, his eyes were bright, and he had evidently been successfully plotting some new and lucrative villainy.
which person or people
From this reading A Spanish oath of the coarsest slipped from his mouth, and he looked about as evil as a man can look who knows that the game is up.
