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- Dead lift, a direct lift, without assistance from mechanical advantage, as from levers, pulleys, etc.; hence, an extreme emergency. "(As we say) at a dead lift." Robynson (More's Utopia). -- Dead line (Mil.), a line drawn within or around a military prison, to cross which involves for a prisoner the penalty of being…

To throw or pull down; to raze; to destroy the fabric of; to pull to pieces; to ruin; as, to demolish an edifice, or a wall. I expected the fabric of my book would long since have been demolished, and laid even with the ground. Tillotson.

The act of overthrowing, pulling down, or destroying a pile or structure; destruction by violence; utter overthrow; -- opposed to construction; as, the demolition of a house, of military works, of a town, or of hopes.

Act of pulling out or removing the hair; unhairing. Dryden.

The act of pulling up by the roots; eradication. [R.]

To unbuild; to pull or tear down; to separate virulently into its constituent parts; to break up the structure and organic existence of; to demolish. But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves. Ex. xxxiv. 13.

overcoming great resistance or producing very slow or very rapid motion. -- Differential pulley. (Mach.) (a) A portable hoisting apparatus, the same in principle as the differential windlass. (b) A hoisting pulley to which power is applied through a differential gearing. -- Differential screw, a compound screw by whi…

hich are fleshy at each end and have a tendon in the middle, and esp. to the muscle which pulls down the lower jaw.

The pulling down of a building, or suffering it to fall or be in a state of decay. Burrill.

To pull off shoes or sandals from. [Obs.] Cockeram.

The act of pulling off the shoes or sandals. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

The act of pulling to pieces, or of separating the parts. Bp. Hall.

To uncover. [Obs.] Whether any man hath pulled down or discovered any church. Abp. Grindal.

To pull in pieces. [Obs. or R.]

Tending to pull asunder, tear, or rend; distracting.

itting side by side in twos on a bank or thwart. To double-bank an oar, to set two men to pulling one oar.

into which it fits tightly, making an interlocking joint between two pieces which resists pulling a part in all directions except one. Dovetail molding (Arch.), a molding of any convex section arranged in a sort of zigzag, like a series of dovetails. -- Dovetail saw (Carp.), a saw used in dovetailing.…

Pertaining to, or used for, drawing or pulling (as vehicles, loads, etc.). Same as Draught.

To draw slowly or heavily onward; to pull along the ground by main force; to haul; to trail; -- applied to drawing heavy or resisting bodies or those inapt for drawing, with labor, along the ground or other surface; as, to drag stone or timber; to drag a net in fishing. Dragged by the cords which through his feet were…

The act of drawing or pulling; as: