A tough old cowboy told his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a little gunpowder on his oatmeal every morning. The grandson did this religiously, and lived to the age of 93.
When he died he left 14 children, 28 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren… and a 15-foot hole in the wall of the crematorium.
n. - condensed water vapour forming on cool surfaces at night.
- similar glistening moisture. dewy adj. (-ier, -iest). [old english]
- point n. Temperature at which dew forms.
DFC
abbr. Distinguished flying cross.
DFM
abbr. Distinguished flying medal.
DIA
Abbr. Diameter.
- prefix (also di- before a vowel) 1 through (diaphanous).
- apart (diacritical).
- across (diameter). [greek dia through]
DID
past of *do1.
DIE
v. (dies, died, dying) 1 cease to live; expire, lose vital force.
- a come to an end, fade away (his interest died). B cease to function. C (of a flame) go out.
- (foll. By on) die or cease to function while in the presence or charge of (a person).
- (usu. Foll. By of, from, with) be exhausted or tormented (nearly died of boredom). be dying (foll. By for, or to + infin.) Wish for longingly or intently (was dying for a drink). Die away fade to the point of extinction. Die back (of a plant) decay from the tip towards the root. Die down become fainter or weaker. Die hard die reluctantly (old habits die hard). Die off die one after another. Die out become extinct, cease to exist. [old norse]
- n. - = *dice 1b.
- (pl. Dies) a engraved device for stamping coins, medals, etc. B device for stamping, cutting, or moulding material. the die is cast an irrevocable step has been taken. [latin datum from do give]
DIF
prefix = *dis-.
DIG
—v. (-gg-; past and past part. Dug) 1 (also absol.) Break up and remove or turn over (ground etc.).
- (foll. By up) break up the soil of (fallow land).
- make (a hole, tunnel, etc.) By digging.
- (often foll. By up, out) a obtain by digging. B (foll. By up, out) find or discover. C (foll. By into) search for information in (a book etc.).
- (foll. By in, into) thrust (a sharp object); prod or nudge.
- (foll. By into, through, under) make one's way by digging. —n. - piece of digging.
- thrust or poke.
- colloq. Pointed remark.
- archaeological excavation.
- (in pl.) Colloq. Lodgings. dig one's heels in be obstinate. Dig in colloq. Begin eating. Dig oneself in 1 prepare a defensive trench or pit.
- establish one's position. [old english]
DIM
—adj. (dimmer, dimmest) 1 a faintly luminous or visible; not bright. B indistinct.
- not clearly perceived or remembered.
- colloq. Stupid.
- (of the eyes) not seeing clearly. —v. (-mm-) make or become dim. take a dim view of colloq. Disapprove of. dimly adv. Dimness n. [old english]
DIN
n. Any of a series of german technical standards designating electrical connections, film speeds, and paper sizes. [german, from deutsche industrie-norm]
- —n. Prolonged loud confused noise. —v. (-nn-) (foll. By into) force (information) into a person by constant repetition; make a din. [old english]
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A cat uses whiskers to determine if a space is too small to squeeze through. The whiskers act as antennae, helping the animal to judge the precise width of any passage.