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; generally received; common; as, a current coin; a current report; current history. That there was current money in Abraham's time is past doubt. Arbuthnot. Your fire-new stamp of honor is scarce current. Shak. His current value, which is less or more as men have occasion for him. Grew.

1 the customary toll,tax, or tribute. Render, therefore, to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom. Rom. xiii. 7.

One who collect customs; a toll gatherer. [Obs.] The customers of the small or petty custom and of the subsidy do demand of them custom for kersey cloths. Hakluyt.

ut and run, to make off suddenly and quickly; -- from the cutting of a ship's cable, when there is not time to raise the anchor. [Colloq.] -- To cut in or into, to interrupt; to jont an anything suddenly. -- To cut up. (a) To play pranks. [Colloq.] (b) To divide into portions well or ill; to have the property left at…

ght or superficial manner; to do in a small way; to tamper; to meddle. "Dabbling here and there with the text." Atterbury. During the ferst year at Dumfries, Burns for the ferst time began to dabble in politics. J. C. Shairp.

a breed of small dogs with short crooked legs, and long body; -- called also badger dog. There are two kinds, the rough- haired and the smooth-haired.

he order Coniferæ, indigenous to the East Indies and Australasia; -- called also Agathis. There are several species.

t Indies whose profession is to dance in the temples, or for the amusement of spectators. There are various classes of dancing girls. -- Dancing master, a teacher of dancing. -- Dancing school, a school or place where dancing is taught.

took possesion of him, and gave a dark tinge to all his views of human nature. Macaulay. There is, in every true woman-s heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. W. Irving.

To make foul; to sully; to tarnish. I must not think there are Evils enough to darken all his goodness. Shak.

omething of an inferior quality; to overspread partially; to bespatter; to touch here and there; as, to dash wine with water; to dash paint upon a picture. I take care to dash the character with such particular circumstance as may prevent ill-natured applications. Addison. The very source and fount of day Is dashed wit…

A carnivorous marsupial quadruped of Australia, belonging to the genus Dasyurus. There are several species.

on which an inference or an argument is based; -- used chiefly in the plural. Any writer, therefore, who . . . furnishes us with data sufficient to determine the time in which he wrote. Priestley.

An umpire or arbiter; a mediator. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us. Job ix. 33.

The time during which there is daylight, as distinguished from the night.

the unoccupied capacity. Abbott. -- Dead ground (Mining), the portion of a vein in which there is no ore. -- Dead hand, a hand that can not alienate, as of a person civilly dead. "Serfs held in dead hand." Morley. See Mortmain. -- Dead head (Naut.), a rough block of wood used as an anchor buoy. -- Dead heat, a heat…

ders dear; want; lack; specifically, lack of food on account of failure of crops; famine. There came a dearth over all the land of Egypt. Acts vii. 11. He with her press'd, she faint with dearth. Shak. Dearth of plot, and narrowness of imagination. Dryden.

Cause of loss of life. Swiftly flies the feathered death. Dryden. He caught his death the last county sessions. Addison.

Disembarkation. The debarkation, therefore, had to take place by small steamers. U. S. Grant.

chaic] On the day of the Trinity next ensuing was a great debate . . . and in that murder there were slain . . . fourscore. R. of Gloucester. But question fierce and proud reply Gave signal soon of dire debate. Sir W. Scott.