used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Tai,” he said, “are the petals a secret, really?”
ashesnounUS /ˈæʃ.ɪz/
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
barbsnounUS /bɑːrbz/
plural of “barb” — an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading “I shall not beat you, Tai,” he said finally.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “Bring me the scourge!” he said.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
coilnounUS /kɔɪl/
a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
crueladjectiveUS /ˈkruːəl/
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading “I shall not beat you, Tai,” he said finally.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
gildedadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪldɪd/
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Bring me the scourge!” he said.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I shall not beat you, Tai,” he said finally.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
intensitynounUS /ɪnˈtensəti/
the amount of energy transmitted (as by acoustic or electromagnetic radiation)
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked now at the handle and thong which held his wrist.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Bring me the scourge!” he said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I shall not beat you, Tai,” he said finally.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He looked now at the handle and thong which held his wrist.
petalsnounUS /ˈpetəlz/
plural of “petal” — part of the perianth that is usually brightly colored
From this reading “Tai,” he said, “are the petals a secret, really?”
poisonousadjectiveUS /ˈpɔɪzənəs/
having the qualities or effects of a poison
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Tai,” he said, “are the petals a secret, really?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Bring me the scourge!” he said.
scourgenounUS /skɜːrdʒ/
a whip used to inflict punishment (often used for pedantic humor)
From this reading “Bring me the scourge!” he said.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “Tai,” he said, “are the petals a secret, really?”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “I shall not beat you, Tai,” he said finally.
TaiadjectiveUS /taɪ/
of or relating to or characteristic of Thailand or its people
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Bring me the scourge!” he said.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
thongnounUS /θɔːŋ/
leather strip that forms the flexible part of a whip
From this reading He looked now at the handle and thong which held his wrist.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
vasenounUS /veɪs/
an open jar of glass or porcelain used as an ornament or to hold flowers
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
wall-cabinet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
whipverbUS /wɪp/
beat severely with a whip or rod
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
which person or people
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
showing curiosity
From this reading Tai ran to a wall-cabinet, and from the vase which held his father’s ashes he pulled, coil by coil, a gilded whip and handed it to Drew who took it by its handle looking with intensity at the cruel barbs at the end, and wondering if they were poisonous.
wristnounUS /rɪst/
a joint between the distal end of the radius and the proximal row of carpal bones
From this reading He looked now at the handle and thong which held his wrist.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I shall not beat you, Tai,” he said finally.
