(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
adversarynounUS /ˈædvərseri/
someone who offers opposition
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He must parry it if he could.
CYRILnounUS /ˈsɪrəl/
Greek missionary; the invention of the Cyrillic alphabet is attributed to him (826-869)
From this reading THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWS CYRIL Cyril felt the muscles of his face stiffen.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
deferredverbUS /dɪˈfɜːrd/
inflected form of “defer” — hold back to a later time
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
devilishlyadverbUS /ˈdevəlɪʃli/
as a devil; in an evil manner
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
ditchnounUS /dɪtʃ/
a long narrow excavation in the earth
From this reading He must fight for her till the last ditch.
dreadingverbUS /ˈdredɪŋ/
-ing form of “dread” — be afraid or scared of; be frightened of
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWS CYRIL Cyril felt the muscles of his face stiffen.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWS CYRIL Cyril felt the muscles of his face stiffen.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading He must fight for her till the last ditch.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
set up or found
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
Griggs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He must fight for her till the last ditch.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWS CYRIL Cyril felt the muscles of his face stiffen.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He must parry it if he could.
INSPECTORnounUS /ˌɪnˈspektər/
a high ranking police officer
From this reading THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWS CYRIL Cyril felt the muscles of his face stiffen.
INTERVIEWSnounUS /ˈɪntərvjuːz/
plural of “interview” — the questioning of a person (or a conversation in which information is elicited); often conducted by journalists
From this reading THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWS CYRIL Cyril felt the muscles of his face stiffen.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
immediately past
From this reading He must fight for her till the last ditch.
musclesnounUS /ˈmʌsəlz/
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWS CYRIL Cyril felt the muscles of his face stiffen.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading He must parry it if he could.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWS CYRIL Cyril felt the muscles of his face stiffen.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
parryverbUS /ˈperi/
impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball)
From this reading He must parry it if he could.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
stiffenverbUS /ˈstɪfən/
become stiff or stiffer
From this reading THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWS CYRIL Cyril felt the muscles of his face stiffen.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE INSPECTOR INTERVIEWS CYRIL Cyril felt the muscles of his face stiffen.
up to a particular time
From this reading He must fight for her till the last ditch.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
unpreparedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnpriˈperd/
without preparation; not prepared for
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But how devilishly clever of Griggs to have deferred his attack until he was able to catch his adversary off his guard!
but in spite of that
From this reading He had for days been dreading some such question, yet now that it had finally come, it had found him completely unprepared.
