used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
AdriannounUS /ˈeɪdriən/
Roman Emperor who was the adoptive son of Trajan; travelled throughout his empire to strengthen its frontiers and encourage learning and architecture; on a visit to Britain in 122 he ordered the construction of Hadrian's Wall (76-138)
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
(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 The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
assignedadjectiveUS /əˈsaɪnd/
appointed to a post or duty
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It did not take long for the three cargoes of human freight to be loaded.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
bobs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
cargoesnounUS /ˈkɑːrɡoʊz/
plural of “cargo” — goods carried by a large vehicle
From this reading It did not take long for the three cargoes of human freight to be loaded.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
cometnounUS /ˈkɑːmət/
(astronomy) a relatively small extraterrestrial body consisting of a frozen mass that travels around the sun in a highly elliptical orbit
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
crewsnounUS /kruːz/
plural of “crew” — the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It did not take long for the three cargoes of human freight to be loaded.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
set up or found
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
freightnounUS /freɪt/
goods carried by a large vehicle
From this reading It did not take long for the three cargoes of human freight to be loaded.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
gladlyadverbUS /ˈɡlædli/
in a willing manner
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading It did not take long for the three cargoes of human freight to be loaded.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
loadedadjectiveUS /ˈloʊdɪd/
filled with a great quantity
From this reading It did not take long for the three cargoes of human freight to be loaded.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It did not take long for the three cargoes of human freight to be loaded.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It did not take long for the three cargoes of human freight to be loaded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
any competition
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
rivalverbUS /ˈraɪvəl/
be equal to in quality or ability
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
Roger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
scrambledadjectiveUS /ˈskræmbəld/
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
seatsnounUS /siːts/
an area that includes places where several people can sit
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
starting-judge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
stretchingnounUS /ˈstretʃɪŋ/
act of expanding by lengthening or widening
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
carry out
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It looked a little too much like taking a ride on the front end of a comet.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The lads all scrambled to their seats on the rival bobs, to which they had been assigned.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Roger found himself placed second from Adrian, and though this gave him a fine view of the road stretching before him, he would gladly have changed his position for one farther back.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A DESPERATE RACE "Well, boys, take your places," called the starting-judge to the three crews.
