used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
Afridis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading When he approached the British lines, he stopped behind a rock and shouted:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
the people of Great Britain
From this reading When he approached the British lines, he stopped behind a rock and shouted:
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
crawlingnounUS /ˈkrɔːlɪŋ/
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
dressesnounUS /ˈdresəz/
plural of “dress” — a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
fearlesslyadverb
without fear
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
start firing a weapon
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
firingnounUS /ˈfaɪrɪŋ/
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
ten 10s
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
conformity or harmony
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading When he approached the British lines, he stopped behind a rock and shouted:
LislenounUS /ˈlaɪəl/
a fabric woven with lisle thread
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
engage in
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
a particular point in time
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
nightfallnounUS /ˈnaɪtfɔːl/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
not any; not one
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
picketsnounUS /ˈpɪkəts/
plural of “picket” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading When he approached the British lines, he stopped behind a rock and shouted:
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading When he approached the British lines, he stopped behind a rock and shouted:
in the near future
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading When he approached the British lines, he stopped behind a rock and shouted:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading No one paid any attention to him and, as soon as he had passed them, he dropped on his hands and knees and began crawling forward; keeping himself carefully behind cover for, at any moment, the pickets might open fire.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For a time the firing ceased entirely but, soon after nightfall, a scattered fire opened round the camp.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
at the time that
From this reading When he approached the British lines, he stopped behind a rock and shouted:
a Caucasian
From this reading He was able to make out the white dresses of the Afridis, lying crouched behind rocks.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Lisle now made his way down fearlessly, until within four hundred yards of the camp.
