All 50 Uses of

direct
in
The Lords of Discipline

"Sir, I do know this," I replied, meeting his gaze directly for the first time.†
Chpt 1.5

directly = straight (focusing exactly where stated)

"Sir," I spoke directly to the General, "Cadet Alexander and I are not friends."†
Chpt 1.5

directly = personally

But apprehension was loose in the room; it created a tremulous, undirected energy that danced above the crowd like phosphorous on a night sea.†
Chpt 1.7

standard prefix: The prefix "un-" in undirected means not and reverses the meaning of directed. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.

He had always opposed my militant flippancy about the plebe system, and I knew it would offend him deeply to see it directed at newly ordained aspirants to the invigorating rituals of that system.†
Chpt 1.9

directed = aimed, or intended for

"Hey," Pig said, uneasily feeling the hostile solidarity of the room directed against him now, "I feel the same way, Mark.†
Chpt 1.10 *

directed = aimed or focused

I walked over and stood directly in front of the freshman.†
Chpt 1.11

directly = close

That's right, dumbhead," I answered him back meeting his gaze directly.†
Chpt 1.12

directly = straight (focusing exactly where stated)

Directly across from us, a T Company freshman shuffled down the gallery to the latrine.†
Chpt 1.15

directly = close, or in a straight line

I've got confidence in my ability to survive anything, anywhere, and that confidence came directly from the plebe system.†
Chpt 1.15

directly = straight (without anything in between)

"Sir," I said, keeping my eyes directly in front of me and addressing anyone who would listen, "I came here to play basketball for the Institute.†
Chpt 2.16

directly = close

If you would be so kind as to direct me to my room.†
Chpt 2.16

direct = guide

He mounted a table directly in front of the plebes.†
Chpt 2.16

directly = close

No knob can withstand the power and the fury of the brotherhood when it is directed at him alone.†
Chpt 2.16

directed = aimed, or intended for

When heopened my press, I saw the frightened eyes of my roommate, Harvey Clearwater, blazing with something that went beyond even terror, looking past the first sergeant directly at me.†
Chpt 2.16

directly = straight (exactly where stated; used for emphasis)

The level of cruelty directed at this frail plebe was extraordinary, and there were boys who left our class because they could not stand to watch what the cadre was doing to him.†
Chpt 2.17

directed = aimed, or intended for

He was screaming at Jim Massengale, who stood directly on my right.†
Chpt 2.18

directly = close

He walked over to Pig's desk and looked directly into Theresa's eyes and screamed at her: "I'm farting like a motherfucking bastard, Theresa, you flapping twat.†
Chpt 3.22

directly = straight (exactly where stated; used for emphasis)

When Annie Kate began to show through the raincoat, Mrs. Gervais moved her out to the family beach house on Sullivan's Island, a gray Victorian structure on the south end of the island, directly across from Fort Sumter, with an uncommonly beautiful view of the harbor and the city.†
Chpt 3.23

directly = close, or in a straight line

The pregnancy had deepened her, she said, and had made her wiser as she faced the lights of the city directly across from her porch on Sullivan's Island.†
Chpt 3.23

When his subjects saw the imprint of the ring in the sealing wax of documents, they were certain of the legitimacy of those documents, and they knew that they came directly from the hand of their ruler.†
Chpt 3.26

directly = straight (without anything in between)

I was pacing back and forth across the room behind her rocking chair, gesticulating fiercely, and shouting at the motionless, defeated woman who sat in her rocking chair staring directly into the fire.†
Chpt 3.29

directly = straight (exactly where stated; used for emphasis)

Glazed with sweat, we tensed for the moment of entry, the butterflies swarming in their familiar, nervous dance in our stomachs; we listened closely to the Corps's hymn of loathing directed at VMI, felt the eyes of the Corps turning toward us.†
Chpt 3.30

directed = aimed, or intended for

When I reached the front court, Reuben and the forwards cleared out of the middle; Johnny moved to the left of the court and stood directly in front of our bench.†
Chpt 3.30

directly = close

You scored a direct hit on an intellectual wound when you asked me why I had not mentioned The Ten in my history.†
Chpt 4.34 *

direct = exact

But they might be able to reflect directly on the history of The Ten.†
Chpt 4.34

directly = exactly where stated (used for emphasis)

I asked, looking at him directly in the eyes.†
Chpt 4.34

directly = straight (exactly where stated; used for emphasis)

Two of them came directly toward the window where I was positioned.†
Chpt 4.38

directly = immediately

He applied a cold compress to my eye and disinfected the deep cut in my hand by pouring alcohol directly on the wound.†
Chpt 4.38

directly = exactly where stated (used for emphasis)

His room was flooded with rays of direct sunlight in which numberless motes of dust rose and fell like colorless, microscopic balloons.†
Chpt 4.39

direct = unobstructed (with nothing in between)

I looked directly into his eyes and said, "Not if you leave on an honor violation, Pig."†
Chpt 4.41

directly = straight (exactly where stated; used for emphasis)

In 1928, when the Institute was still located at its old site in downtown Charleston, there was a vegetable stand frequented by cadets directly across the street from the school.†
Chpt 4.41

directly = close, or in a straight line

That's a direct order.†
Chpt 4.43

direct = clear, straightforward, or to the point

I'm giving you a direct order to report to me.†
Chpt 4.43 *

I thought I gave you a direct order to get your fat ass over to see me on the double.†
Chpt 4.43

He saluted the General and stood directly beside me facing him.†
Chpt 4.47

directly = close

That is a direct order.†
Chpt 4.47

direct = clear, straightforward, or to the point

There was always something imponderably beautiful in the anachronism, in the synchronization of the regiment, in the flashing gold passage of the Corps past the reviewing stand in a ceremony that was a direct throwback to the times when Napoleonic troops strutted for their emperor.†
Chpt 1.1

In this, her small, green country, surrounded by an embrasure of old Charleston brick, there were camellias of distinction, eight discrete varieties of azaleas, and a host of other flowers, but she directed her prime attention to the growing of roses.†
Chpt 1.2

"Tell General Durrell to kiss my fanny if you see him, boys," Commerce shouted to the television, trying to direct the subject far away from the remark that had wounded his son.†
Chpt 1.2

She passed the girl and walked directly up to me, appraising me with clear, angry eyes.†
Chpt 1.6

We kept a tally of those fallen heroes and felt that we were in direct competition with the service academies as to who would have the most graduates killed in Vietnam.†
Chpt 1.10

Now, here's the scene," I said, speaking directly to Pig and Mark, ignoring the prisoner.†
Chpt 1.10

Would any of you gentlemen be so kind as to direct Mr. McLean to his room?†
Chpt 2.16

Are you telling me I can't run you out, scumbag?" he screamed directly in my ear.†
Chpt 2.16

As Pig extended his arm to shake hands, Otto jammed two fingers directly into Pig's eyes.†
Chpt 3.24

"Mother," Tradd said, "Greeks urinate directly into the ocean, and that's the very least of what they do."†
Chpt 3.25

And I never loved the game better than when we played at home and sprinted directly into the fierce embrace of the Corps.†
Chpt 3.30

Down the court he would lope toward me, directly toward me, looking at me with those blazing predator's eyes, his body moving with a cold fluency, his dribble confident.†
Chpt 3.30

The letter proves nothing, Mr. McLean, because nothing is stated directly or resolutely.†
Chpt 4.34

It exploded on the second division of N Company, directly opposite from Pig.†
Chpt 4.37

Click For
Best Example Sentences
From Other Sources
Grouped by 3 Meanings

Definitions:

(1) (direct as in: directly above; or buy direct)
without anything in between -- whether in time, space, or involvement
(2) (direct as in: gave a direct answer)
straightforward -- often clear, open, or blunt in speech or behavior
(3) (direct as in: direct a question; or direct a film)
to guide, aim, or manage -- such as actions, attention, speech, a project or company
(4) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
meaning too rare to warrant focus:

Direct can take on many specialized meanings not included in this dictionary.
As an adjective or adverb, direct usually means there is a clear or straight connection with nothing in the way. It can also mean easy to understand, without confusion. For example:
- Direct action – taking quick and clear steps to make something happen
- Direct descendant – someone who comes straight from an ancestor, like a grandchild
- Direct line (in genealogy) – a family connection that goes straight from one generation to the next
- Direct deposit – money that is sent straight into a bank account
- Direct object – in a sentence, the person or thing that receives the action of the verb
- Direct kick – in sports, a kick where the ball can go straight into the goal without touching another player
- Direct cost – a cost that comes straight from making a product or providing a service
- Direct investment – putting money directly into a company or project
- Direct elections – when people vote for leaders without going through an extra step
- Direct current (DC) – a type of electric flow that moves in only one direction
As a verb, most all of the senses of direct involve giving orders or aiming.

Page Numbers by Book Edition

direct in The Lords of Discipline

direct
in
The Lords of Discipline