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Characterized by rhetorical display; pretentiously rhetorical; without solid sense or argument; bombastic; noisy; as, a declamatory way or style.

or against; to blame clamorously; to discredit; to disparage. For small errors they whole plays decry. Dryden. Measures which are extolled by one half of the kingdom are naturally decried by the other. Addison.

Expressing, or apt to express, much; displaying feeling or sentiment; as, her nature was demonstrative.

ainer; as, a numerous train of dependents. A host of dependents on the court, suborned to play their part as witnesses. Hallam.

To open out; to unfold; to spread out (a body of troops) in such a way that they shall display a wider front and less depth; -- the reverse of ploy; as, to deploy a column of troops into line of battle.

To pray against, as an evil; to seek to avert by player; to desire the removal of; to seek deliverance from; to express deep regret for; to disapprove of strongly. His purpose was deprecated by all round him, and he was with difficulty induced to adandon it. Sir W. Scott.

tis (Mantis Carolina). -- The Devil's tattoo, a drumming with the fingers or feet. "Jack played the Devil's tattoo on the door with his boot heels." F. Hardman (Blackw. Mag.). -- Devil worship, worship of the power of evil; -- still practiced by barbarians who believe that the good and evil forces of nature are of eq…

A precious stone or gem excelling in brilliancy and beautiful play of prismatic colors, and remarkable for extreme hardness.

A child's game, played with dib bones.

Small cubes used in gaming or in determining by chance; also, the game played with dice. See Die, n. Dice coal, a kind of coal easily splitting into cubical fragments. Brande & C.

A player at dice; a dice player; a gamester. As false as dicers' oaths. Shak.

A cheat. [Colloq.] Jeremy Diddler, a character in a play by James Kenney, entitled "Raising the wind." The name is applied to any needy, tricky, constant borrower; a confidence man.

A shrewd trick; an antic; a caper. To cut a dido, to play a trick; to cut a caper; -- perhaps so called from the trick of Dido, who having bought so much land as a hide would cover, is said to have cut it into thin strips long enough to inclose a spot for a citadel.

A small cube, marked on its faces with spots from one to six, and used in playing games by being shaken in a box and thrown from it. See Dice.

ew; to cause to appear; to bring to light; to reveal. How softly on the Spanish shore she plays, Disclosing rock, and slope, and forest brown! Byron. Her lively looks a sprightly mind disclose. Pope.

Play; sport; pastime; diversion; playfulness. Milton.

Act of disporting; diversion; play. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

n one and the other. Prior. The writings of Euclid at the distance of two thousand years. Playfair.

Sudden display; flash; glitter. [R.] A smile . . . breaks out with the brightest distriction. Collier.

ferently; variously. "Diversely interpreted." Bacon. How diversely love doth his pageants play. Spenser.