used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
abstractedadjectiveUS /ˈæbstræktɪd/
lost in thought; showing preoccupation
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading In that instance the thieves got clear away with their modest spoil.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
burglarsnounUS /ˈbɜːrɡlərz/
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
burglarynounUS /ˈbɜːrɡləri/
entering a building unlawfully with intent to commit a felony or to steal valuable property
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
cannonnounUS /ˈkænən/
a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
rid of obstructions
From this reading In that instance the thieves got clear away with their modest spoil.
confirmedadjectiveUS /kənˈfɜːrmd/
of persons; not subject to change
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
customernounUS /ˈkʌstəmər/
someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
deliberateadjectiveUS /dɪˈlɪbərət/
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
fogsnounUS /fɔːɡz/
plural of “fog” — droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading In that instance the thieves got clear away with their modest spoil.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
an occurrence of something
From this reading In that instance the thieves got clear away with their modest spoil.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
lampsnounUS /læmps/
plural of “lamp” — an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
immediately past
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
modestadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːdəst/
marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
From this reading In that instance the thieves got clear away with their modest spoil.
a particular point in time
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
NovembernounUS /noʊˈvembər/
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
scareverbUS /sker/
cause fear in
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
scientificallyadverbUS /ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪkəli/
with respect to science; in a scientific way
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
selectionnounUS /səˈlekʃən/
the act of choosing or selecting
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
spoilverbUS /spɔɪl/
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading In that instance the thieves got clear away with their modest spoil.
sportingadjectiveUS /ˈspɔːrtɪŋ/
exhibiting or calling for sportsmanship or fair play
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
thievesnounUS /θiːvz/
plural of “thief” — a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading In that instance the thieves got clear away with their modest spoil.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
traditionsnounUS /trəˈdɪʃənz/
plural of “tradition” — an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
ugliestadjectiveUS /ˈʌɡliəst/
superlative of “ugly” — displeasing to the senses
From this reading It was as though they then made a deliberate sporting selection of the ugliest customer on the Estate.
UnderprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
at the time that
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
WitchingnounUS /ˈwɪtʃɪŋ/
the use or practice of witchcraft
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In that instance the thieves got clear away with their modest spoil.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading It was certainly the burglars' month of November, and the fogs confirmed its worst traditions.
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading On a night when the street lamps burst upon one at the last moment, like the flash of cannon through their own smoke, a house in Witching Hill Road was scientifically entered, and the silver abstracted in a style worthy of precious stones.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Under Arms It must have been in my second year of humble office that the burglary scare took possession of Witching Hill.
