used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
AjaxnounUS /ˈeɪdʒæks/
a mythical Greek hero; a warrior who fought against Troy in the Iliad
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
(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 Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But no policeman was to be seen.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But no policeman was to be seen.
constablenounUS /ˈkɑːnstəbəl/
a lawman with less authority and jurisdiction than a sheriff
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
true confidential information
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
eageradjectiveUS /ˈiːɡər/
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
Gerty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
inquirynounUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪriː/
a search for knowledge
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
inspectornounUS /ˌɪnˈspektər/
a high ranking police officer
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
Laura
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
the act of departing
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
MasonnounUS /ˈmeɪsən/
American Revolutionary leader from Virginia whose objections led to the drafting of the Bill of Rights (1725-1792)
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
not able to be found
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
MOTOR-CAR
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
not any; not one
From this reading But no policeman was to be seen.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
onlookersnounUS /ˈɔːnlʊkərz/
plural of “onlooker” — someone who looks on
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
policemannounUS /pəˈliːsmən/
a member of a police force
From this reading But no policeman was to be seen.
provokeverbUS /prəˈvoʊk/
call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
rightlyadverbUS /ˈraɪtli/
with honesty
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
rumournounUS /ˈruːmər/
gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But no policeman was to be seen.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
Tracey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
TroynounUS /trɔɪ/
a system of weights used for precious metals and gemstones; based on a 12-ounce pound and an ounce of 480 grains
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
precisely as stated
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
VillanounUS /ˈvɪlə/
Mexican revolutionary leader (1877-1923)
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE MISSING MOTOR-CAR It was not from Tracey that Laura learned the details of the Ajax Villa tragedy.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading A rumour about the murder had crept round Troy, and a few curious people were staring at the windows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Leaving Gerty in the garden with her lover, Miss Mason walked round to the house, eager to hear all that had taken place.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The inspector kept his officers on guard inside the villa, thinking, and very rightly, that the sight of a constable in the garden would provoke inquiry, and bring onlookers.
