used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
(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 Of course all the slaughter was attributed to this one fox of the Devil's Hole.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
attributedverbUS /əˈtrɪbjətɪd/
past form of “attribute” — attribute or credit to
From this reading Of course all the slaughter was attributed to this one fox of the Devil's Hole.
audaciousadjectiveUS /ɑːˈdeɪʃəs/
invulnerable to fear or intimidation
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
calvesnounUS /kævz/
plural of “calf” — young of domestic cattle
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
carnagenounUS /ˈkɑːrnɪdʒ/
the savage and excessive killing of many people
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
CarrollnounUS /ˈkærəl/
English author; Charles Dodgson was an Oxford don of mathematics who is remembered for the children's stories he wrote under the pen name Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
From this reading Carroll lost seven the next night.
without stop or interruption
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course all the slaughter was attributed to this one fox of the Devil's Hole.
devastatedverbUS /ˈdevəsteɪtɪd/
past form of “devastate” — cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
Devil'snounUS /ˈdevəlz/
possessive form of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading Of course all the slaughter was attributed to this one fox of the Devil's Hole.
Digby
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
duck-pond
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
escapesnounUS /ɪˈskeɪps/
plural of “escape” — the act of escaping physically
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
divisible by two
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading Of course all the slaughter was attributed to this one fox of the Devil's Hole.
foxesnounUS /ˈfɑːksəz/
plural of “fox” — alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
hair-breadth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
an opening into or through something
From this reading Of course all the slaughter was attributed to this one fox of the Devil's Hole.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
lambsnounUS /læmz/
plural of “lamb” — young sheep
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
manianounUS /ˈmeɪniə/
an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Carroll lost seven the next night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
poultrynounUS /ˈpoʊltri/
a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
raidsnounUS /reɪdz/
plural of “raid” — a sudden short attack
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
rapinenoun
the act of despoiling a country in warfare
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
regionnounUS /ˈriːdʒən/
the extended spatial location of something
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
only a very short time before
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading Carroll lost seven the next night.
woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
slaughternounUS /ˈslɔːtər/
the killing of animals (as for food)
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Carroll lost seven the next night.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Of course all the slaughter was attributed to this one fox of the Devil's Hole.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He continued his career of rapine, making audacious raids and hair-breadth escapes, and finally began, as do many old foxes, to kill from a mania for slaughter.
vicaragenoun
an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Thus it was that Digby lost ten lambs in one night.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Later, the vicarage duck-pond was wholly devastated, and scarcely a night passed but someone in the region had to report a carnage of poultry, lambs or sheep, and, finally even calves.
