used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
(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 Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
ashoreadverbUS /əˈʃɔːr/
towards the shore from the water
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
bearsnounUS /berz/
plural of “bear” — massive plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with long shaggy coats and strong claws
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
bellynounUS /ˈbeli/
the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
cavesnounUS /keɪvz/
plural of “cave” — a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
circumnavigateverbUS /ˌsɜːrkəmˈnævəɡeɪt/
travel around, either by plane or ship
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
CornwallnounUS /ˈkɔːrnwɔːl/
a hilly county in southwestern England
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
cruiseverbUS /kruːz/
drive around aimlessly but ostentatiously and at leisure
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
at any time
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
ghostsnounUS /ɡoʊsts/
plural of “ghost” — a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
the act of departing
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
JonahnounUS /ˈdʒoʊnə/
(Old Testament) Jonah did not wish to become a prophet so God caused a great storm to throw him overboard from a ship; he was saved by being swallowed by a whale that vomited him out onto dry land
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
lazyadjectiveUS /ˈleɪzi/
moving slowly and gently
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
lumpishadjective
mentally sluggish
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
minersnounUS /ˈmaɪnərz/
plural of “miner” — laborer who works in a mine
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
not any; not one
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
something you have to do
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
not often
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
skinsnounUS /skɪnz/
plural of “skin” — a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
sootnounUS /sʊt/
a black colloidal substance consisting wholly or principally of amorphous carbon and used to make pigments and ink
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
the season of growth
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
not in physical motion
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
terrapins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
torpidadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːrpəd/
slow and apathetic
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
tree-trunks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
except if; if not
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Unless upon rare occasions, they seldom come on deck to sun themselves.
an act of traveling by water
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
washverbUS /wɑːʃ/
clean with some chemical process
From this reading Like Cornwall miners, wash off the soot from their skins, and they are all pale as ghosts.
whale'snounUS /weɪlz/
possessive form of “whale” — a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
at the time that
From this reading They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set; and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading They may circumnavigate the world fifty times, and they see about as much of it as Jonah did in the whale’s belly.
a late time of life
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading No one ever knows the names of these fellows; after a three years’ voyage, they still remain strangers to you.
