used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading And then--oh well, what's the good of thinking about that?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Not an ounce of ballast!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
ballastnounUS /ˈbæləst/
any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship
From this reading "Not an ounce of ballast!"
balloonnounUS /bəˈluːn/
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
driftingnounUS /ˈdrɪftɪŋ/
aimless wandering from place to place
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
Felix
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Felix groaned.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading And then--oh well, what's the good of thinking about that?"
groanedverbUS /ɡroʊnd/
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading Felix groaned.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
moment'snounUS /ˈmoʊmənts/
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
not one, and not any
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Not an ounce of ballast!"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading And then--oh well, what's the good of thinking about that?"
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
ouncenounUS /aʊns/
a unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or one twelfth of a troy pound
From this reading "Not an ounce of ballast!"
plungeverbUS /plʌndʒ/
thrust or throw into
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then--oh well, what's the good of thinking about that?"
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading And then--oh well, what's the good of thinking about that?"
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
thrillnounUS /θrɪl/
the swift release of a store of affective force
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Johnny had known a thrill or two, but none quite like drifting through the night in a balloon that was not meant for drifting.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
(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 And then--oh well, what's the good of thinking about that?"
what's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then--oh well, what's the good of thinking about that?"
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "And the night so dark we may plunge without a moment's notice into those cold, black waters.
