Davis, Jefferson
352
Davis, Jefferson (1808-89)
a US politician who was President of the CONFEDERACY (=the Southern US states) during the American CIVIL War, from 1861 to 1865
Davis, Miles /maɪlz/ (1926-91) a US musician who played the TRUMPET and led his own jazz band. He is greatly admired as an imaginative musician who had an important influence on the development of JAZZ.
Davis, Sam·my, Jr. /'sæmi/ (1925-1990) an African-American singer, dancer, and actor. He was famous as a nightclub entertainer and was a member of the 'Rat Pack,' a group of Hollywood stars which included Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
Davis, Steve /sti:v/ (1958-) a British SNOOKER player who was extremely successful in the 1980s. He played very calmly and quietly, and was often called 'boring' as a joke.
Davis 'Cup, the an important international men's TENNIS competition, played between teams of players representing their countries
dav·it /'dævɪt, 'deɪvɪt/ n either of a pair of long curved poles that swing out over the side of a ship for lowering boats etc
Da·vy, Sir Hum·phrey /'dervi, 'hʌmfri/ (1778-1829) a British scientist who invented the Davy lamp, an oil lamp that could be used in coal mines without causing explosions. He also discovered several ELEMENTS (=basic chemical substances), including CALCIUM, SODIUM, and POTASSIUM.
Davy Jones's lock·er /ˌdervi ˌdʒəʊnzˈlɒkəʳ ǁ -ˈlɑː-/ an old-fashioned humorous name for the bottom of the sea, where people who die at sea are said to be: The old pirate's in Davy Jones's locker now.
daw·dle /'dɔ:dl/ v [I] infml to waste time; move or do something very slowly: He dawdled all morning/all the way to school. | The children dawdled over their food. —dler n
Dawes Plan, the /'dɔ:z ˌplæn/ a plan developed by Charles G. Dawes, a US politician, to help Germany to pay its REPARATIONS (=money paid by a defeated country) after World War I
Daw·kins, Richard /'dɔ:kɪnz/ (1941-) a British scientist with a special interest in EVOLUTION. He is known especially for his book The Selfish Gene (1976), in which he says that humans, plants, and animals are built by GENES (=the parts of a cell which control qualities that are passed on to a living thing from its parents) so that the genes can continue to exist. He is often on British television and radio, and is also known for strongly opposing the belief in God.
dawn¹ /dɔ:n/ n 1 [C;U] also daybreak — the time of day when light first appears; the first appearance of light in the sky before the sun rises: The postman has to get up before dawn every day. | the stillness of a summer dawn | We drove all night and arrived just as dawn was breaking. → compare DUSK 2 [the (of)] the beginning or first appearance of a new period, idea, feeling etc: the dawn of civilization/of hope/of the new technology 3 at (the) break of dawn at the first light of day
dawn² v [I] (of the day, morning etc) to begin to grow light just before the sun rises: The morning dawned fresh and clear after the storm.
dawn on/upon sbdy. phr v [T no pass.] to become known by: It suddenly/gradually dawned on me that I'd caught the wrong train.
,dawn 'chorus n [often the] loud singing by many different birds together at dawn
,dawn 'raid n an early morning attack or police action: (fig.) a dawn raid on the ailing company's shares
day /deɪ/ n 1 [C] a period of 24 hours: There are seven days in a week. | the day before yesterday | the day after tomorrow | the last day of our vacation | Christmas Day was a Wednesday last year. → see also DAYS¹,²; see USAGE 2 [C;U] the time between sunrise and sunset: Call me in the evening as I'm usually out during the day. | It rained all day and all night. 3 [C] a period of work within a 24-hour period: She works an eight-hour day and a five-day week. | She's paid by the day. | Did you have a good day at the office? → see also WORKING DAY 4 [C] also days pl. — a particular period or point of time: Young people have a lot of freedom these days/in this day and age. (=now) | In the days before the war/In those days/In my day (=in the past) things were different. | Some day/One day (=at some time in the future) we'll take a trip to China. → see also DAYS¹ 5 [S] a period of success or fame: In her day she was a very well-known singer. | He used to be a very good actor, but I'm afraid he's had his day now. (=he is no longer good or popular) 6 [the] lit a struggle, battle, or competition: to lose/ win the day 7 by day during the day (especially when compared with by night): He works in an office by day and drives a taxi by night. → see also DAYS² 8 day after day/day in day out continuously for many days: It went on raining day after day. 9 day and night all the time: noisy neighbours who play their radio day and night 10 from day to day/day by day each day; as time goes on: The situation changes from day to day. 11 from one day to the next two days in a row: I never know her plans from one day to the next. 12 go ahead/on, make my day a phrase made famous by an American film by Clint Eastwood, when he was carrying a gun and inviting his enemy to make a move so that he would have a reason to shoot him 13 have a nice day a phrase used, especially in the US, when saying goodbye to someone during the day 14 make someone's day infml to make someone very pleased and happy: It made her day when her grandchildren came to see her. 15 the other day in the recent past: I saw your friend the other day. 16 to the day (of time) exactly: We left Spain one year ago to the day. (=exactly one year ago) 17 to this day until now: I haven't told him the whole story to this day! 18 that'll be the day! spoken said when you think that something is very unlikely to happen: 'Does he spend a long time doing his homework?' 'That'll be the day!' | That'll be the day – when Bridget decides to get married. 19 it's not your day also it's not your week, year, decade etc spoken said when several problems or unpleasant things have happened to you in one day: I missed my bus, I left my lunch at home – it just hasn't been my day. | It's not my day, really – I've never had to ask Robert for help before. 20 in the cold light of day if you think about a difficult or exciting situation in the cold light of day, you think about it later when you are calm enough to understand the true meaning of it: In the cold light of day, the arguments all seemed so ridiculous. | You've been playing and training for three years without stopping. In the cold light of day you'll come to realise that you just cannot do it all the time. 21 from day one spoken from the beginning: It's been a difficult project from day one, but that doesn't mean we're going to stop trying. | Chuck is a great coach, and he hasn't changed from day one. → see also in all my born days (BORN²), call it a day (CALL¹), at the end of the day (END¹)
If today is Wednesday, then Monday was the day before yesterday and Friday will be the day after tomorrow.
CULTURAL NOTE Days of the week In both the US and the UK, Monday is the first day of the working week and school week, and people often joke about how much they hate Mondays because they don't want to go back to work or school. The weekend The weekend consists of Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. Most people are very happy on Friday because it is the last day of the school or working week, and they sometimes use the expression 'Thank God it's Friday!' Friday nights and Saturday nights are when people usually have parties or go to theatres, restaurants etc. On Saturdays during the day, people are often busy shopping, playing or watching sports, visiting friends, and doing things that they do not have time to do during the week, such as cleaning their house. Sunday is typically a quieter day when people tend to rest and relax. Traditionally people spend time with their families and have a big meal together. Christians usually go to church on Sunday. In the past in the UK, most shops closed on Sunday, but now many of them stay open, although often for fewer hours than during the rest of the week. → see also SCHOOL NIGHT, SUNDAY PAPER, WEEKEND