Search

Browse: General Information Actors People Gazetteer Nature Heraldry

Mythology Warfare Money Costume Ships Aircraft Architecture Science &
Technology Music Medicine Food & Drink Rocks & Minerals Movies Computer
Viruses Sports & Pastimes Shakespeare Slang Dictionary

General Information (D)

Traduisez cette page dans français Traduzca esta página en español (Translations
provided by freetranslation.com)
DACOITY

In the Penal Code, dacoity is defined as organised banditry by five or more persons. The
word derives from the Hindustani word for a robber, dakait.

DACRYPHILIA

Dacryphilia is sexual arousal from seeing tears in the eyes of the partner.

DACTYLIOMANCY
Dactyliomancy is divination by means of a finger ring.

DAD'S ARMY

Dad's Army was a very successful BBC comedy set in a south-coast town in England,
about a group of British home guard volunteers during the Second World War led by an
arrogant captain and a camp sergeant.

DADA

The dada is an artistic and literary movement founded in 1915 in Zurich.

DAILY EXPRESS

The Daily Express is a tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1900 by Pearson. At the
time it strongly supported Chamberlain's tariff reform policy, and today is known for its
strongly nationalist right-wing ideas.

DAILY MAIL

The Daily Mail is a tabloid newspaper. It was founded in 1896 and was the first
halfpenny London morning newspaper.

DAILY MIRROR

The Daily Mirror is a tabloid newspaper. It was founded in 1903 chiefly as a journal for
women, and modified in 1904 as a general illustrated newspaper. Today it is known as a
sensationalist tabloid supporting the Labour party.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

The Daily Telegraph is a broadsheet newspaper which was established in 1855 as a 2d

paper by Colonel Sleigh. Several months later it was bought by Levy who reduced the
price to 1d. It was a Liberal supporting paper until 1878, then from 1886 it was unionist
and raised funds for needy causes. Today it is nicknamed the 'Torygraph' from its strong
support of the Conservative party.

DAK

Dak was the east Indian postal service. Properly a dak was a relay of men carrying letters,
despatches and the like.

DALLAS
Dallas was an American television soap-opera created by David Jacobs, about the lives of
a Dallas oil family. Dallas ran from 1978 to 1991.

DAM

A dam is a structure constructed to hold back water and provide controlled flow for
irrigation, storage and generation of electricity.

DAMASKEENING

Damaskeening is the process of ornamenting iron and steel with designs produced by
inlaying or encrusting with another metal such as gold or silver, by etching and the like. It
is a process of decoration often used for the plates of the movements of clocks and
watches.

DANGER MOUSE

Danger Mouse is a British animated cartoon television show for children by

Cosgrove/Hall Productions Limited about a secret-agent white mouse - voice provided by
David Jason - and his cowardly sidekick assistant, a hampster called Penfold - voice
supplied by Terry Scott. Danger Mouse first aired in 1981. Typically of British children's
television shows, the parents are not forgotten and Danger Mouse includes numerous
witty remarks aimed at amusing parents watching the show together with their children.

DARK AGES

The Dark Ages were the five or six centuries following the fall of the west Roman
Empire, after the civilisation of Rome, based on unity and inter- communication had been
destroyed by repeated barbarian invasions.

DATAPOST

Datapost is a Royal Mail fast postal service for packages weighing up to 27.5 kg. The
same-day door-to-door service by radio-controlled motorcycles and vans is more
expensive than the overnight service, which guarantees next-day delivery to any point in
Britain. There is also a Datapost International Service, which operates to many countries.

DATE LINE

The date line is the line that follows roughly the 180 degree meridian from Greenwich,
and marks the point where according to international agreement the day begins. When a
ship crosses this line eastwards it goes forward a day; westwards, it goes back a day.
DAY

A day is the time taken for the earth to rotate once on its axis. Astronomically a day is
reckoned to begin at noon; for civil purposes, at midnight.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

Daylight Saving Time is a device for the better utilisation of daylight by a temporary
abandonment of sun-time in summer. It was first suggested in 1907 by William Willett,
and implemented in 1916 so as to procure economy in light and fuel as an Act which
provided that all clocks be put forward one hour for a period of about 5.5 months during
the summer in England. This emergency measure was perpetuated by an Act of 1925, and
adopted by many other European countries.

DE HAERETICO COMBURENDO

De Haeretico Comburendo was a statute of 1401 against the Lollards. By it, a heretic
convicted before a spiritual tribunal and refusing to recant was to be burned.

DEAD LANGUAGE

A dead language is one that is not passed on from parents to children (that is, it is not a
'mother tongue'), such as Latin and Sanskrit for example.

DECEMBER

December is the twelfth month of the year. It was originally the Roman tenth month of
the year, hence the name from the Latin decem meaning ten. The British commenced
their year on the 25th of December until the reign of William I.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

The Declaration of Independence was made in 1776 by the 13 English colonies in North
America breaking away from all allegiance to the British Crown. The Declaration was
mainly the work of Thomas Jefferson. Already in December 1775 the Congress had
declared itself independent of the English parliament and by this declaration had
repudiated allegiance to the Crown.

DECLARATION OF INDULGENCE

The Declaration of Indulgence in 1687 was a proclamation by James II repealing all

religious tests and penal laws against Roman Catholics and Dissenters. The Declaration
was republished in 1688 and ordered to be read in the churches. Their refusal to do this
led to the trial of the Seven Bishops, who were acquitted.

DECLARATION OF PARIS

The Declaration of Paris in 1856 adopted with the Treaty of Paris to establish four
principles of international law: 1) Privateering to be abolished; 2) the neutral flag might
cover enemy goods except contraband of war; 3) neutral goods, except contraband of
war, not to be subject to capture under an enemy's flag; 4) blockades, to be binding, must
be effective, i.e. maintained by a sufficient force.

DECOY

Strictly speaking, a decoy is either a tame or artificial duck, so placed as to lure wild
ducks within gunshot range. The term is widely applied to any means by which a person
or animal is lured into a trap.

DEED OF COVENANT

A deed of covenant is a legal document, which must be in a specified form, used to

transfer income from one person to another with a view to making a saving in tax. It
authorises regular annual payments to be made, which must normally be at least six
(except in the case of payments to charities, when it can be three). The person making the
payment deducts income tax at the basic rate from the payment, in most cases obtaining
his tax relief on it. Any recipient who is exempt from tax (e.g. a charity) can reclaim the
tax deducted. In certain cases, such as payments to charities, tax relief at higher rates may
be available to the payer; this does not apply to student children.

DEED POLL

A deed poll is a deed having a straight edge at the top, as opposed to an indenture. A deed
poll was used when only one party was involved in an action, e.g. when a person declared
that he wished to be known by a different name. Deeds commonly now have straight
edges and are used for all purposes.

DEFAMATION

In law, defamation is a false statement tending to expose another person to hatred,

contempt or ridicule, or to injure him in his trade or profession. Mere insult is not
sufficient.

DEFENCE OF THE REALM ACTS

The Defence of the Realm Acts (DORA) were a series of Acts passed during and after the
Great War in Britain conferring on the King in Council the power to take extra-ordinary
measures for the defence of the realm. Perhaps the most unpopular Act was the limitation
of the times during which intoxicants could be sold, commonly known as the licensing
hours and not relaxed until the 1990s.

DEFENDER OF THE FAITH

See "Fidei Defensor"

DEIMOS

Deimos is one of the two moons of mars.

DELAGE

Delage were a make of successful French cars, including Grand Prix cars made between
1905 and 1953. In 1908 Delage driving his own make of car won the 500 km Dieppe
Grand Prix clocking an average speed of 50 mph, and in 1911 the X type designed by
Michelat won the Coupe de l'Auto at Boulogne.

DELTA

Delta is the 4th letter of the Greek alphabet.

In geography, a delta is an alluvial triangular deposit formed at diverging mouths of a
river, the original delta is the island formed at the mouths of the Nile and so named by the
Greeks from its resemblance to their letter delta (a triangle).
DELTIOLOGY

Deltiology is the hobby of collecting postcards.

DEODAND

In old English law, deodand was a term denoting anything which had caused the death of
a person, accidentally or otherwise, and was thereupon forfeited to the crown to be put to
some good use.

DEUTEROGAMIST

A deuterogamist is someone who marries for a second time.

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Developing countries are countries that often have abundant natural resources but lack
the capital and entrepreneurial and technical skills required to develop them. The average
income per head and the standard of living in these countries is therefore far below that of
the industrial nations. Often known as the third world, these countries are being
supported by various United Nations organisations as well as by western and eastern bloc
nations, both of whom wish to influence their political development. The developing
countries, in which some 70% of the world's population lives, are characterised by
poverty, poor diet, the prevalence of disease, high fertility, overpopulation, illiteracy, poor
educational facilities, and an agricultural economy. Many depend on a single product for
their exports and are therefore vulnerable in world markets. The third world consists of
most of Africa (except the Republic of South Africa), most of Asia (except Japan and the
USSR), and much of South America.

DEWANNY

A dewanny is a court in the East Indies for trying revenue and other civil disorders.

DEXTER'S LABORATORY

Dexter's Laboratory is a children's animated cartoon television show created by Genndy

Tartakovsky and commissioned by Turner Entertainment and Hanna-Barbera, about a
little boy - Dexter - who creates bizarre inventions in his laboratory that usually work too
well, and his annoying, brain-dead elder sister who usually manages to cause the
invention to run amok.

DIABOLISM
Diabolism is the worship of the devil.

DIACRITICAL MARK

A diacritical mark is an accent, umlaut, cedilla, etc., set above or below a letter in foreign
languages to modify the sound of the letter.

DIAERESIS

A diaeresis is two dots, similar to an umlaut, set above the second of two adjacent vowels
in a word to show that both are to be pronounced separately.

DIALECT

A dialect is a characteristic manner of speech confined to a particular locality and

differing, to a greater or lesser extent, from the standard speech of the country. The
distinction between dialect and language is one of expediency rather than science.

DIALOGUE

Dialogue is a form of literature consisting of a conversation between two or more

characters and so having considerable affinities with drama.

DICKER

A dicker was a British measurement of gloves equal to ten dozen pairs and of hides equal
to ten hides.

DICTIONARY

A dictionary is a book explaining or translating words giving some or all of their

pronounciation, spelling, meaning, part of speech and entymology, where as an
encyclopaedia deals with subjects rather than specifically words.

DIEU ET MON DROIT

Dieu et mon droit (God and my right) is the motto of the English royal family. It was first
assumed as a motto by Henry VI.

DIFFUSIONISM

Diffusionism is the theory that human culture was spread by degrees by outward
expansion from a single source, as opposed to the view that cultures are developed
independently and are only diffused when a particular people develops a more or less
permanent type of culture which is well in advance of that of neighbouring peoples and
becomes impressed upon the latter.

DIGAMMA

Digamma was an ancient Greek letter, which was already obsolete in classical times, and
so called because its form resembled a double gamma. It was pronounced like an English
w.

DILIGENCE

A diligence was a French stage-coach. It was the national vehicle on the regular routes;
had four wheels, two compartments, a deck, and a dickey; and was drawn by from four to
seven horses.

DIMITY

Dimity is a strong cotton material with raised patterns, usually white, used for curtains
and especially bed-curtains during the 18th and 19th centuries.

DIOTA
A diota was a Roman vessel used for water or wine. It had a narrow neck, a full body, and
two handles. The form and sized varied, but it was generally made tall and narrow, and
terminating in a point which could be put in a stand or into the ground to keep the vessel
upright. Several were found in the cellars of Pompeii standing upright in the ground.

DISORDERLY HOUSE

In law, a Disorderly House is a house where persons meet for unlawful purposes, such as
a brothel or gaming-house.

DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTERIES

The dissolution of the monasteries in England was carried out by Henry VIII between
1535 and 1539. This was an attack on Church property for three reasons. First, the monks
were the main supporters of the Papal authority in England, and they were members of
orders which were spread over Europe. It had proved possible to separate the English
bishops and clergy from allegiance to the Pope; this was not possible with the monastic
orders, which were international, not insular, institutions. The second reason was the
wealth of the monasteries, which was the result of the pious bequest of many centuries.
The cry against monastic wealth had been raised many times previously in English
history, particularly by John Wycliffe and others from the time of Edward III and Richard
II. The courtiers of Henry VIII and the rising middle class were greedy for land, and
Henry VIII saw that by ministering to their greed he could make his new nobility and
their new property a firm support of his Reformation. The third reason for ending the
monasteries was the reason given to Parliament: that the monks had outlived their day of
usefulness and were abandoned to idleness and vice. There were over 600 religious
houses in England, and no doubt there was some truth in this charge. Zealous churchmen
had long known that all was not well with these ancient institutions. In Henry VII's reign
the Oxford Reformers had rebuked monkish follies, and Cardinal Morton had noted the
'incurable uselessness' of many of the smaller houses where the monks were idle and
ignorant. Cardinal Wolsey had obtained a Papal Bull to visit the monasteries, and had
begun to suppress some, intending to use their revenues for the benefit of education and
the New Learning and to found new bishoprics. One of them, St. Frideswide's Priory at
Oxford, he converted into Cardinal College (later Christ Church). In 1535 Henry VIII
made Thomas Cromwell his Vicar-General, 'with power to visit any monastery in
England'. The character of Cromwell was
sufficient guarantee that the visitation would not be conducted fairly. He knew what was
expected of him; he was to be 'The Hammer of the Monks'. His agents hurried through
England, visited some of the monasteries, and drew up an evil report. This report
unfortunately no longer exists. Our only information is derived from Cromwell's note-
books and from the letters of his agents, from which we may gather something of their
methods. For example, Dr. Layton, vicar of Harrow-on-the-Hill, dashed through southern
England from Gloucestershire to Rent between August and October 1535. He condemned
monasteries wholesale, on insufficient evidence, although at the same time he did not
scruple to accept bribes from some, or to help himself to plate and jewels from others.
However, Parliament was satisfied, and the country squires, anxious for the 'goods of the
Church', shouted ' Down with them!' The Act dissolving 276 of the lesser monasteries of
England in 1536 was the last important Act of the Reformation Parliament. In dissolving
the smaller monasteries first, Henry VIII had cautiously tested his power. But his violent
measures had by 1536 caused grave discontent, especially in the west and north, and in
Parliament itself. His wholesale destruction of the smaller monasteries was followed by
two popular uprisings. The first occurred in Lincolnshire, where the rebels were crushed
by a military force under the Duke of Suffolk. The second rising, in Yorkshire in 1536,
known as the Pilgrimage of Grace, was much more serious. The following year the
famous shrine of Becket at Canterbury was attacked. Thomas Becket was declared in
April 1538 'a false saint and a traitor to the Supreme Head of the Church'; his bones were
burnt; his shrine pillaged and its offerings confiscated. Then Henry VIII was ready to turn
his attention to the greater monasteries, although Parliament had saved them earlier
because of their good conduct. Cromwell and his agents in 1539 began a persecution of
the abbots: many were induced to surrender their abbeys to the king; others could only be
reduced by methods of terror. The Abbots of Reading and Colchester were tried for
treason; the Abbot of Glastonbury for felony. All three were executed. The odious
methods of Cromwell are well shown in some notes left in his own handwriting: 'To see
that the evidence be well sorted and the indictments well drawn against the said abbots.
The Abbot of Reading to be sent down to be tried and executed at Reading with his
complices. The Abbot of Glaston to be tried at Glaston, and also executed there with his
complices.' The last Abbot of Glastonbury, a pious, venerable man beloved in the
countryside, was executed with two of his brethren on Glastonbury Tor, after a mock trial
in November 1539. These ferocities had the desired effect: many less brave spirits gave
in, and soon there were no monasteries left. The dissolution of 616 religious houses was
the greatest revolution in the ownership of land in England since the Norman Conquest.
The monastic income has been variously estimated at between one-fifth and one-third of
the total rental of England. This newly acquired wealth the king might have used in
developing public works, such as education. Some of it was spent in re-building the
Navy; but the king's own greed and the greed of courtiers swallowed most of the spoil. A
thousand newly enriched families became the nobility on which Henry in future relied for
support. The 'Abbey' where the descendants or successors of these Tudor families now
live is a name to be found in many an English village. But sad indeed was the fate of the
original buildings. Some, like the great church at Tewkesbury, have been preserved in the
form of parish churches; others have been partly preserved to form cathedrals. But the
greater number were ruthlessly destroyed by their new possessors, their roofs despoiled
for the valuable lead, their walls made quarries for new buildings, their treasures
scattered, and their ruins left desolate. Whatever defence may be made for the
suppression of the monastic orders, no excuse can be offered for this orgy of destruction,
which deprived England of some of her noblest monuments. It is probable that at least
15000 persons were cast adrift. These people went to swell the already large number of
the unemployed, for whom Tudor statesmanship could find no better relief than the
savage punishments inflicted on thieves and vagabonds. Some of the monks were given
benefices or pensioned by the Government, but the pensions were not always paid; the
occupants of the lesser houses fared worse than those of the greater. The hospitality
which the monks had always given to the poor was now removed. There was nothing to
take its place, and many monks and nuns joined the ranks of those who had formerly
subsisted on their charity. Many gaps were left in national life, for the abbeys, said Aske
'were one of the beauties of this realm to all men and strangers passing through the same;
all gentlemen much succoured in their needs with money, and in nunneries their
daughters brought up in virtue. And such abbeys as were near the danger of seabanks
were great maintainers of sea-walls and dykes, builders of bridges and highways, and
such other things for the commonwealth.'

DIXIE

The term Dixie refers to the southern states of the USA.

DOCTOR WIND

The Doctor Wind is a prevailing daytime breeze which blows onto the island of Jamaica
from the sea.

DOG DAYS

The dog days are the hottest part of the year in Europe, being part of July and August.
Formerly the dog days were specifically the period during which Sirius, the dog-star,
rises approximately with the sun.

DOLDRUMS

In geography the doldrums is a region of calms and baffling winds near the equator.
DOLOS

A dolos is an animal bone, usually a knuckle bone, used for divination.

DOMESDAY BOOK

The domesday book is a record of the survey conducted in England in 1086 by officials
of William the conqueror so as to assess taxes etc.

DOMICILE

A domicile is the country or place of a person's permanent home, which may differ from
that of his nationality or place of residence. Domicile is determined by both the physical
fact of residence and the continued intention of remaining there. For example, a citizen of
a foreign country who is resident in Britain is not necessarily domiciled there unless he
intends to make it his permanent home. Under the common law, it is domicile and not
residence or nationality that determines a person's civil status, including the capacity to
marry. A corporation may also have a domicile, which is determined by its place of
registration.

DOMINANT IDEOLOGY

Dominant ideology means the principal ideas, values and morals in a given society. It is a
particular version of reality but only one of a number of possible versions. These ideas
may, however, be so well established that members of society believe them to be
naturally given and beyond question (like when people thought the earth was flat). It is
possible for different ideologies to exist within a given society different versions of
reality but they lack the persuasive power and generalised acceptance enjoyed by the
dominant ideology. Marxist sociologists have pointed out that ideologies are rarely
neutral, and serve to justify and support the interests of a powerful social group over less-
powerful groups. The dominant ideology thesis asserts that working-class subordination
in capitalist societies is largely the outcome of the cultural dominance achieved by the
capitalist class. For Marx, the ruling ideas in a given society are always the ideas of the
ruling social group. This theory is well supported by evidence of the general blind
acceptance of the 'goodness' of pharmaceuticals purveyed by the immensely powerful
pharmaceutical industries in the west, despite negative evidence such as dependency and
side effects. Feminine sociologists make a similar point, but starting from a different
premise. Some sociologists, such as Abercrombie, criticise the dominant ideology thesis,
arguing that its proponents overestimate the extent to which different groups are
integrated into the dominant culture, and underestimate the extent to which different
groups can generate ideas which run counter to dominant ideologies. However, evidence
to support this criticism is sparse, but contrary evidence is widespread in the persecution
of Copernicus, Galileo, and the 20th century AIDS dissidents, all of which questioned a
dominant ideology only to be hounded and ridiculed at the time.
DOMINATRIX

A dominatrix is a woman who plays the dominant role in sex games.

DONKEY

The donkey (Equus asinus) is a domestic ass descended from the now extinct Nubian
Wild Ass.

DOOMSDAY BOOK

See "Domesday Book"

DORA

See "Defence of the Realm Acts"

DORA THE EXPLORER

Dora The Explorer is an American animated cartoon television show for young children
created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh, and Eric Weiner which aims to teach problem
solving skills and basic Spanish (with a view to making children curious about other
languages). Dora The Explorer is about a young girl of Latin ethnicity who has exploring
adventures which usually end-up with her rescuing someone or searching for some lost
item. Dora The Explorer first aired on the Satellite television channel Nick Jr in 2000.

DOSAH

The dosah (treading) was a ceremony which used to be performed at Cairo on the return
of the holy carpet from Mecca. The sheik of the Sa'di dervishes rode on horseback over
the bodies of devotees, killing some, injuring others more or less severely; those who
escaped unhurt were deemed to be specially honoured by god. The rite was suppressed by
the Khedive in 1884.

DR FINLAY'S CASEBOOK

Dr Finlay's Casebook was a British BBC drama television series created by A J Cronin,
starring Bill Simpson, about a doctor in a Scottish village practice during the 1920's. Dr
Finlay's Casebook ran from 1962 to 1971.

DR WHO
Dr Who was a British BBC science-fiction television series for children, created by
Sydney Newman and originally starring William Hartnell, about an alien 'Time Lord'
battling evil through space in time, equipped with a time machine which looked like a
1960's police telephone box and a sonic screwdriver. Dr Who ran from 1963 to 1989.

DRAGON'S-TAIL

Dragon's-tail was the old palmistry name for the line marking the separation between the
hand and the arm.

DRAM

The dram is a unit of the avoirdupois scale equivalent to 1.772 grams.

DRAMATURG

In Theatre, a Dramaturg is a person who serves as an editor for a theatre company,

helping to select plays and helping writers refine their work. He or she is sometimes
called a literary manager.

DRAY

A dray is an ancient form of low cart in which the shafts are elongated to form rails along
which a load may be rolled onto the rear of the cart's inclined bed.

DRESS-GUARD

A dress-guard was a wing on the side of a carriage entrance to prevent the brushing of a
lady's dress against the wheel as she got in or out of the carriage.

DROSKY
The drosky was a Russian and Prussian four-wheeled horse-drawn, uncovered vehicle in
which the passengers rode astride a bench, their feet resting on bars near the ground.

DRUGGET

Drugget is a woollen fabric or felt, the heavier kinds of which were used as a border for
carpet squares, for covering carpets and sometimes in place of carpet. The name was also
used to describe a coarse woollen fabric formerly used in some parts of Britain for
women's dresses.

DRUMLIN

A drumlin is an irregular, rounded, hog-backed mound of boulder clay, often from a

hundred to two hundred feet high and hundreds of yards long. They are abundant in most
flat countries over which an ice sheet has passed.

DRURY LANE THEATRE

The Drury Lane Theatre is an historic English theatre in London's West End. The first
theatre on the site, the Theatre Royal, opened in 1663. As theatres often did in those days,
it burned down nine years later, but was rebuilt again in 1874. From 1746 to 1776,
Garrick was the resident star and co- manager. Richard Brinsley Sheridan succeeded
Garrick as manager, and several of his plays were produced there. The theatre burned
down again in 1809, was rebuilt in 1812. During the 1800s it was occasionally home to
famous stars like Edmund Kean and George MacReady. In the latter 1800s it was
associated with spectacular melodramas and stage machinery. Since the 1920s it has
featured big, Broadway-style musicals.

DUCKING STOOL
The ducking stool was a chair fixed to the end of a movable beam, in which shrewish
offenders were in England bound and ducked in water as a punishment and torture. The
penalty was inflicted on scolds of both sexes, quarrelsome married couples being
immersed tied back-to-back. In some districts unruly paupers and dishonest tradesfolk
(particularly brewers of bad beer and bakers of bad bread) were also punished by means
of the ducking stool. The last recorded use of the ducking stool in England was in 1809 at
Leominster.

DUEL

A duel (from the Latin duellum) is a single combat following on a challenge, and
conducted according to the regulations of the code of honour. The origin of the practice
may probably be traced to the judicial combats of the northern tribes who overthrew the
Roman power. Possessing no well-defined system of jurisprudence, they refereed the
settlement of all disputes to an appeal to arms, invoking the deity to defend the right.
Duelling with small swords was introduced into England in 1587 from France. The first
recorded English duel took place in 1096 between William count of Eu and Godfrey
Baynard. Duelling has always been illegal in England, with the issue of a challenge seen
as a breach of the peace and the killing of an opponent as murder or manslaughter, with
the charge raised against the survivor and the seconds. Notable duels include: Between
the duke of Hamilton and lord Mohun which was fought with small swords in Hyde Park
on the 15th of November 1712. Lord Mohun was killed on the spot and the duke died of
his wounds as he was being carried to his coach. On the 8th of June 1807 a Mr Alcock
killed a Mr Colcough and went mad as a result. On the 21st of March 1829 the Duke of
Wellington and the earl of Winchelsea duelled with no injury, indeed the duel was a farce
with both parties firing into the air.

DUFFLE BAG

A duffle bag is a sturdy, cylindrical canvas bag originally used by servicemen for carrying
kit. Stout cord is threaded through metal, eyelets and drawn together to seal the top. The
duffle bag shape has been used in shoulder bags, made of various fabrics, from the 1970s.

DUMA
The Duma was the lower House of the Russian Imperial Parliament. It was created in
1905 by the Constitution granted by Tsar Nicholas II, and replaced in 1917 by the Soviet
system.

DUNBLANE MASSACRE

The Dunblane massacre occurred on the 13th of March 1996 when Thomas Hamilton, a
former Scout leader with a grudge against the scout movement, walked into a primary
school in Dunblane, Scotland, armed with four handguns and shot down a class of five
and six-year old children before shooting himself. A result of the killings was a ban on
private ownership of hand guns above .22 calibre in the United Kingdom. Critics of the
ban pointed out that almost all gun crime is carried out with widely available illegal
weapons, and instances of a licensed firearm being used by its owner to carry out a crime
are almost non-existant in the UK.

DUNE

A dune is a wavelike mound or ridge the materials of which have been accumulated and
shaped by the wind. Dunes may occur where ever sand is formed; by the margins of seas
lakes and rivers, in inland regions of low rainfall, which are the most extensive dune-
covered areas.

DUNGEON

A dungeon is an underground prison, originally in the keep of a Norman castle.

DURESS

In law, duress is the unlawful constraint or compulsion of a person by physical action or

threats.

DYKE

A dyke (dike) is a ditch or earthworks. The term is most often applied to earthworks built
to reclaim land from the sea or rivers.

DYNASTY

Dynasty was an American soap opera television series following the lives of a wealthy
Denver family - the 'Carringtons' in the oil business. Dynasty was created by Esther
Shapiro and Richard Shapiro and first ran from 1981 to 1989.
 Go
Search For:

Home | Quiz | Products | FAQ | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

Advertising supplied by Fastclick

Updated: 06/03/2004