used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Kirgan didn't say a word--not to me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
clockworknounUS /ˈklɑːkwɜːrk/
any mechanism of geared wheels that is driven by a coiled spring; resembles the works of a mechanical clock
From this reading What followed went like clockwork.
a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kirgan didn't say a word--not to me.
driving-maul
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
engine'snounUS /ˈendʒənz/
possessive form of “engine” — motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
firemennounUS /ˈfaɪrmən/
plural of “fireman” — play in which children pretend to put out a fire
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading What followed went like clockwork.
gapnounUS /ɡæp/
a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
Gorcher
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
indicatingverbUS /ˈɪndəkeɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
and nothing more
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
Kirgan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kirgan didn't say a word--not to me.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading What followed went like clockwork.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Kirgan didn't say a word--not to me.
measurementsnounUS /ˈmeʒərmənts/
plural of “measurement” — the act or process of assigning numbers to phenomena according to a rule
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
not any; not one
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Kirgan didn't say a word--not to me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
railsnounUS /reɪlz/
a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
relaid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
rubbedverbUS /rʌbd/
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
express in words
From this reading Kirgan didn't say a word--not to me.
spike-puller
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
moving very fast
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
tapenounUS /teɪp/
a long thin piece of cloth or paper as used for binding or fastening
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Kirgan didn't say a word--not to me.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
toolsnounUS /tuːlz/
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "These two, right here, boys," he ordered, indicating a pair of rails in the other leg of the "Y," and in less than no time the two rails were up and relaid to bridge the gap of the broken connection.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading What followed went like clockwork.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What followed went like clockwork.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There were tools, a spike-puller and a driving-maul, on the light engine's tender, and while the two firemen were throwing them off, Kirgan made a couple of swift measurements with his pocket tape.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Kirgan didn't say a word--not to me.
YnounUS /waɪ/
a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
yelledadjectiveUS /jeld/
in a vehement outcry
From this reading He just took one look at the rubbed rails and then yelled back to Gorcher to run out on the "Y."
