DAMASCUS n.
, having a variegated appearance of watering, and proverbial for excellence. -- Damascus iron, or Damascus twist, metal formed of thin bars or wires of iron and steel elaborately twisted and welded together; used for making gun barrels, etc., of high quality, in which the surface, when polished and acted upon by acid,…
DAMASKEEN; DAMASKEN v.
To decorate, as iron, steel, etc., with a peculiar marking or "water" produced in the process of manufacture, or with designs produced by inlaying or incrusting with another metal, as silver or gold, or by etching, etc., to damask. Damaskeening is is partly mosaic work, partly engraving, and partly carving. Ure.…
DEAD a. 2 definitions
not be seen or defended from behind the parapet. -- Dead block, either of two wooden or iron blocks intended to serve instead of buffers at the end of a freight car. -- Dead calm (Naut.), no wind at all. -- Dead center, or Dead point (Mach.), either of two points in the orbit of a crank, at which the crank and conn…
DEAD-EYE n.
A round, flattish, wooden block, encircled by a rope, or an iron band, and pierced with three holes to receive the lanyard; -- used to extend the shrouds and stays, and for other purposes. Called also deadman's eye. Totten.
DEVIL n. 2 definitions
An expletive of surprise, vexation, or emphasis, or, ironically, of negation. [Low] The devil a puritan that he is, . . . but a timepleaser. Shak. The things, we know, are neither rich nor rare, But wonder how the devil they got there. Pope.
DIG v.
to dig up a tree. The preposition is often omitted; as, the men are digging coal, digging iron ore, digging potatoes. -- To dig in, to cover by digging; as, to dig in manure.(b) To entrench oneself so as to give stronger resistance; -- used of warfare. Also figuratively, esp. in the phrase to dig in one's heels.…