D
344
D,d
D, d /di:/ pl. D's, d's n 1 [C,U] the fourth letter of the English alphabet 2 [C,U] the second note in the musical SCALE of C MAJOR, or the musical KEY based on this note 3 [C] a mark given to a student's work to show that it is not very good: I got a D in history last semester. 4 the number 500 in the system of ROMAN NUMERALS -> see also D AND C, D-DAY
d. also d BrE 1 abbrev. for died: John Keats d. 1821 2 abbrev. for penny; or pennies; in the system of money used in Britain before 1971
d' /d/ short for (infmt) do: D'you like it?
-'d /d/ short for 1 would: I asked if she'd go. (=if she would go) 2 had: I asked if she'd gone. (=if she had gone) 3 infml (in questions after where, what, when etc) did: Where'd he go? (=Where did he go?) -> compare 's'
D AmE abbrev. for Democrat; used after a politician's name to show that he or she belongs to the Democratic Party in the US: Carl Levin (D)
DA /,di: 'eɪ/ abbrev. for a DISTRICT ATTORNEY
dab¹ /dæb/ n 1 a slight or light touch: He made a few dabs at the fence with the paintbrush but it didn't really have much effect. 2 infml a small quantity of a soft or liquid substance: a dab of paint/of butter 3 a DAB HAND -> see also DABS
dab² v -bb- 1 [[at];T] to touch lightly or gently, usually several times: She dabbed (at) the wound with a wet cloth. 2 [T(in)] to cover with light quick strokes and usually carelessly and incompletely: She dabbed some cream on her face.
DAB /,di: eɪ 'bi:/ abbrev. for Digital Audio Broadcasting; a technical standard for broadcasting information using DIGITAL RADIO technology. It was developed for the EU and is used in many countries, but not the US. This technology gives the listener a larger choice of radio programmes, better RECEPTION, and clearer sound than traditional radio.
dab·ble /'dæbəl/ v 1 [[at, in]] sometimes derog to work at or study something without serious intentions: to dabble in politics | I've dabbled in sculpture a bit. 2 [T(in)] to move (one's hands, feet etc) playfully about in water: She dabbled her toes in the river. —bler n
,dab 'hand also dab n [[at]] BrE infml a person who is very good at something: She's a dab hand at sailing.
dabs /dæbz/ n [P] BrE slang for FINGERPRINTS
Dac·ca /'dækə/ the old spelling of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh
dach·a /'dætʃə||'da:-/ n a Russian country house or COTTAGE
Dach·au /'dækau, 'dæx-||'da:-/ a CONCENTRATION CAMP in southern Germany in which many Jews and other prisoners were killed during World War II
dachs·hund /'dækshund, -sənd/ also sausage dog BrE infml — n a small dog with short legs and a long body -> see picture at DOG
Dac·ron /'dækrɒn||'deɪkrɑːn/ trademark a type of SYNTHETIC (=man-made material) for making clothes. In the US, clothes made from Dacron tend to be regarded as unfashionable by younger people.
dac·tyl /'dæktɪl||-tl/ n tech a measure of poetry consisting of one strong (or long) beat followed by two weak (or short) beats, as in 'carefully' —ic /dæk'tɪlɪk/ adj, n
dad /dæd/ n infml father: What are you doing, Dad? | I'll have to ask my mum and dad. -> see FATHER (USAGE)
Da·da·ism /'da:dɑ:ɪzəm/ also Da·da /'da:dɑ:/ n [U] a movement in European art and literature in the early 20th century, in which artists and writers aimed to shock people by deliberately ignoring accepted ideas and producing strange, unexpected images. Dadaism was the main influence on SURREALISM, which developed from Dadaism in the 1920s.
dad·dy /'dædi/ n (used especially by or to young children) father: Daddy's home! | That's my daddy. -> compare MUMMY¹; see also SUGAR DADDY; see FATHER (USAGE)
daddy long-legs /,dædi 'lɒŋlegz||-'lɔːŋ-/ n pl. daddy longlegs 1 also crane fly fm! BrE a flying insect with long legs 2 AmE an insect with long legs that is similar to a SPIDER
Daddy War·bucks /,dædi 'wɔ:bʌks||-'wɔːr-/ a character in the US CARTOON STRIP LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE. He is a rich businessman who takes care of a young girl called Annie, whose parents are dead.
da·do /'deɪdəʊ/ n pl. -does the lower part of a wall in a room that is decorated differently, e.g. with different-coloured paint, from the upper part
,Dad's 'Army a humorous British television programme (1968-77) about a group of men who were part of the HOME GUARD in a small southern English town during World War II. Their job was to defend the town if German forces attacked it, but they were very badly organized, and everything they did went wrong.
Dae·da·lus /'di:dəl-əs||'ded-/ in ancient Greek stories, an inventor who designed the LABYRINTH on the island of CRETE, where the King of Crete kept the MINOTAUR. He later escaped from Crete with his son ICARUS, by flying away using wings made of feathers and WAX.
dae·mon /'di:mən/ n lit 1 (in ancient Greek stories) a being like a spirit, halfway between gods and humans 2 a spirit that fills a person with the power to think, do, or make new things -> compare DEMON —ic /dɪ'mɒnɪk||-'mɑː-/ adj: a daemonic laugh —ically /-kli/ adv
daf·fo·dil /'dæfədɪl/ also daff /dæf/ infml — n a very common bell-shaped pale yellow flower of early spring -> see picture at FLOWER
CULTURAL NOTE The daffodil is the national flower of Wales. On St David's Day, the Welsh national day, some Welsh people wear a daffodil on their coat. There is a famous English poem about daffodils by William Wordsworth, which most British people know. It begins: I wandered lonely as a cloud/ That floats on high o'er vales and hills/ When all at once I saw a crowd/ A host of golden daffodils.
Daf·fy Duck /,dæfi 'dʌk/ a black duck who is a character in CARTOON films made by WARNER BROS, and who behaves in a silly way and cannot say the sound 's' properly
Da·foe, Wil·lem /də'fəʊ, 'wɪləm/ (1955-) an American film actor whose films include The Last Temptation of Christ, Born on the Fourth of July, and Finding Nemo
daft /dɑːft||dæft/ adj infml, especially BrE silly; foolish: a daft idea | What a daft thing to say! —ly adv —ness n [U]
dag·ger /'dæɡər/ n 1 a short pointed knife used as a weapon, especially formerly: He sheathed his dagger again. 2 also obelisk — a sign (†) used in printing to draw the reader's attention to something 3 at daggers drawn (with someone) in a state of open dislike and readiness to fight (with someone) 4 Is this a dagger which I see before me? quote a line from Shakespeare's play Macbeth, said by Macbeth when he is preparing to murder the king. He imagines a dagger with blood on it in the air in front of him. 5 look daggers at to look angrily at; GLARE at -> see also CLOAK-AND-DAGGER
da·go /'deɪɡəʊ/ n pl. -gos or -goes derog taboo a very offensive word for a person, especially a man, from Spain or Portugal
da·guer·reo·type /də'gærətaɪp||-rə-/ n [C,U] a kind of early photograph
Dag·wood /'dæɡwʊd/ a character in the US CARTOON STRIP BLONDIE. Dagwood is married to Blondie, and he is known for being lazy.
,Dagwood 'sandwich /||'.. ,../ n AmE a very large SANDWICH with many different kinds of meat and cheese in it
Dahl, Ro·ald /da:l, 'rəʊəld/ (1916-90) a British writer known especially for his very popular children's books which are often both funny and frightening, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach
dah·li·a /'deɪliə|| 'dæliə/ n a big brightly coloured garden flower with a lot of pointed PETALS
Dah·mer, Jef·frey /'dɑːmər, 'dʒefri/ (1960-94) a US man who killed 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991 and kept parts of their bodies in his home
Dail, the /dɔɪl, daɪl/ also Dail Éi·reann /,dɔɪl 'eərən,