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at is contemptible or evil. Who dares think one thing, and another tell, My heart detests him as the gates of hell. Pope.

y of a personal chattel wrongfully detained. Writ of detinue (Law), one that lies against him who wrongfully detains goods or chattels delivered to him, or in possession, to recover the thing itself, or its value and damages, from the detainer. It is now in a great measure superseded by other remedies.…

To make a devil of. [R.] He that should deify a saint, should wrong him as much as he that should devilize him. Bp. Hall.

to feast upon like a wild beast or a glutton; to prey upon. Some evil beast hath devoured him. Gen. xxxvii. 20.

The plant which bears the fruit. Feed him with apricots and dewberries. Shak.

fficult affair; adroitness. His wisdom . . . was turned . . . into a dexterity to deliver himself. Bacon. He had conducted his own defense with singular boldness and dexterity. Hallam.

A war horse; a destrer. [Obs.] "By him baiteth his dextrer." Chaucer.

To express as in dialogue. [R.] And dialogued for him what he would say. Shak.

A towel or napkin for wiping the hands, etc. Let one attend him with a silver basin, . . . Another bear the ewer, the third a diaper. Shak.

d drink sparingly, or by prescribed rules; to regulate medicinally the food of. She diets him with fasting every day. Spenser.

e action of a grating of fine lines or bars. Remarked by Grimaldi (1665), and referred by him to a property of light which he called diffraction. Whewell. Diffraction grating. (Optics) See under Grating. -- Diffraction spectrum. (Optics) See under Spectrum.

-- said of actions or measures. Alva, as usual, brought his dilatory policy to bear upon hiMotley. Dilatory plea (Law), a plea designed to create delay in the trial of a cause, generally founded upon some matter not connected with the merits of the case.

h presents an antagonist with two or more alternatives, but is equally conclusive against him, whichever alternative he chooses.

en by a bishop dismissing a person who is removing into another diocese, and recommending him for reception there. Hook.

To dash; to throw violently. [Obs.] To ding the book a coit's distance from him. Milton.

Diogenes' tub, the tub which the philosopher Diogenes is said to have carried about with him as his house, in which he lived.

rible; lamentable. Dire was the tossing, deep the groans. Milton. Gorgons and hydras and chimeras dire. Milton.

Manifestly; openly. [Obs.] Desdemona is directly in love with him. Shak.

st faults, or disabilities to perform what was covenanted. Milton. Chatham refused to see him, pleading his disability. Bancroft.

ife is a perpetual exercise, a wrestling and warfare, for which sensual pleasure disables him. Jer. Taylor. And had performed it, if my known offense Had not disabled me. Milton. I have disabled mine estate. Shak.