to have the sword of Damocles hanging over (someone’s) head (set phrase) = to have an imminent harm threatening (someone) (‘Damocles’ is pronounced ‘dam-uh-kleez’) for full explanation, see box below
e.g. Anyone in charge of a political coalition knows that internal forces might explode it at any moment: such a leader has the sword of Damocles hanging over him
Damocles was an obsequious courtier who was always telling Dionysius II, King of Syracuse (397–343 BC), how lucky and happy the king was. To prove to Damocles that this was untrue – that he was not always happy – King Dionysius offered to swap places with Damocles, to show him what being a king was really like. When Damocles was installed on the throne and enjoying fine wine and food, Dionysius attached to the patch of ceiling above Damocles’s head, a sword – held in place by one solitary hair alone, that could snap at any time.
This was to show Damocles the unhappy-making and ever-present peril faced by those in a position of power (from those trying to usurp the ruler); and ‘the sword of Damocles’ has now come to mean, more generally, the sense of foreboding engendered by a precarious situtation.
dance of death / danse macabre (set phrase) = a medieval painting of a dance, with Death (as a skeleton) at the front, leading to their graves a chain of people (linked together in order of social rank, from an emperor at the front, to a pauper at the end – showing the universality of death) (‘danse macabre’ is pronounced ‘dahns ma-ka-br-a’) from the French, danse macabre: dance of death
e.g. One afternoon, shortly after his aunt and wife had died within days of each other, he found himself staring out of the window, thinking he’d finally seen the world for what it really was: a dance of death
darkling (adj.) = (of a sky) growing dark from the Middle English, ‘dark’ + ‘-ling’ (a suffix denoting condition); the verb ‘to darkle’ – derived from the adjective ‘dark’ – dates from the 15th century
e.g. When they notice the darkling sky, car drivers turn their lights on
debased (adj.) = (of a person or situation) lowered morally (pronounced ‘dee-baysd’) from the English words, de-: down, and the outdated verb to base, which together express the notion: ‘to bring down completely’
e.g. The only retailer consistently left alone by the London rioters was Waterstones; for the yobs had no interest in books: a sure sign of a debased culture
déclassé (adj.) = belonging to a lower social class (pronounced ‘dey-kla-sey’) from the French, déclassé: having lost class, from de-: from + classer: to class
e.g. Drinking rosé wine – which used to be regarded as déclassé – has suddenly become socially acceptable
decorous (adj.) = seemly; literally meaning, ‘exhibiting decorum’ (pronounced ‘dek-er-uhs’) from the Latin, decorus: seemly
e.g. In Scottish reeling, a decorous space between dancing partners is observed at all times
defenestrated (noun) = (of an authority figure) suddenly removed from power; literally meaning ‘the act of throwing someone out of the window’ (pronounced ‘dee-fen-uh-strey-ted’) – hence ‘defenestrated’, being such an over-the-top image, is always comical in tone for full explanation, see box below
e.g. Opponents of the monarchy would like to see the Queen removed; a few extremists would doubtless like to see her defenestrated
‘defenestrated’ derives from the Latin, ‘de-’: ‘out of’ + ‘fenestra’: ‘window’.
Historically, the concept of ‘defenestration’ was used to refer to an act of political dissent – specifically, ‘the Defenestration of Prague’ in 1618, a time when the rights of Protestants were being curtailed by Catholics. The individuals subject to the actual chucking from the window (or ‘defenestration’) in question were three prominent Catholics, who were suspected by the Protestants of writing a letter to the king ordering that no more Protestant churches be built on royal land. In the event, these three Catholics survived being pushed out of the third-floor window – and the ensuing fall of some 20 metres – owing to their thick coats, and to the uneven castle walls (that blunted their descent).
The most poignant case of defenestration in modern times is perhaps that of Garry Hoy (1955–93), a lawyer best known for the circumstances of his death. In an attempt to prove to a group of his partners at his law firm that the glass in the building was unbreakable, Hoy threw himself against a glass wall on the 24th storey, only for the window frame to yield. For his unusual death, Hoy was recognised with a Darwin Award in 1996.
to defray (a cost) (verb) = to pay (a cost) (pronounced ‘dih-frey’) from the French, défrayer, from dé-: expressing removal + (now obsolete) frai: cost
e.g. The businessman gave the prostitute – who had visited him in his hotel – a fifty pound note to defray her taxi fare home
to delineate (something) (verb) = to outline (something) in words or drawings (pronounced ‘dih-lin-ee-eight’) from the Latin, delineare: to outline, from de-: out + lineare: to line, from linea: line
e.g. In his book The Audacity of Hope, Obama delineates his vision for the United States of America
to deliquesce (verb) = to disappear as if by melting; to melt away (as part of the decaying process) (pronounced ‘de-li-kwes’) from the Latin, deliquescere: to dissolve, from de-: down + liquescere: to become liquid
e.g. I love the sensation of pan-fried foie gras deliquescing on my tongue
denuded of (something) (set phrase) = to be stripped of (a possession) (pronounced ‘dih-nyood’) from the Latin, denudare: to strip, from de-: completely + nudare: to bare
e.g. Now that e-readers are so popular, bookshelves are often entirely denuded of books; and in their stead, plants and photo frames stand guard
to deprecate (verb) = to deplore (pronounced ‘dep-ri-keight’) from the Latin, deprecari: to pray against (as an evil), from de-: down + precari: to pray
e.g. ‘Serious’ literary authors tend to deprecate books like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – perhaps out of jealousy that the latter has sold 50 million copies and counting
dereliction of duty (set phrase) = the deliberate abandoning of one’s duty (‘dereliction’ is pronounced ‘der-uh-lik-shuhn’) for full explanation, see box below
e.g. When he walked out on his pregnant wife, his father-in-law accused him of a dereliction of duty
‘dereliction of duty’ is a specific offence applicable to the US military (under the Code of Laws of the United States). The etymology of the word hints at the nature of the offence: ‘dereliction’ is from the Latin, ‘derelinquere’: ‘to abandon’, ultimately from ‘de-’: ‘completely’ + ‘relinquere’: ‘to leave’.
A member of the military guilty of ‘dereliction of duty’ has either deliberately refused to perform his duty, or has incapacitated himself – owing to excessive alcoholic consumption, for example – to such a degree that he is unable to execute his role.
Bizarrely enough, it was Jimmy Stewart, the actor, who presided over the first court martial where someone was accused of ‘dereliction of duty’. (Of course, Stewart was not an actor at that stage, and was only known by his military title, which was ‘Colonel James M. Stewart’.) The court martial concerned was held during World War II, and the army officers thus charged were two US Army Air Force lieutenants who had mistakenly dropped bombs on Zürich in Switzerland (which was a neutral country during the war, and therefore ill-deserving of bombs). Eventually – after evidence showing it was the plane’s equipment, rather than the officers, at fault – the men were acquitted of the charge. The phrase ‘dereliction of duty’ has taken on a wider meaning now, and is no longer confined to the military, being suitable for all cases of neglect, military, romantic, or otherwise.
to descant on (a topic) (verb) = to comment at length about (a topic) (pronounced ‘des-kant’) from the Latin, discantus: a refrain, from dis-: apart + cantus: song; ‘a descant’ literally means ‘a melodious song’
e.g. The wedding guests were moved to tears as the groom descanted on his love for his bride
desiccated (adj.) = lacking spirit (originally used of food that has been preserved by removing the moisture from it) (pronounced ‘des-i-kay-tid’) from the Latin, desiccare: to make thoroughly dry
e.g. When you watch The Godfather, you find yourself rooting for crime boss Michael Corleone; for, despite his desiccated soul, he is the best of a bad bunch
détente (noun) = the easing of troubled relations (pronounced: ‘day-tonte’) from the French, détente: loosening
e.g. After Kim Jong Il died suddenly, US diplomats worried the emerging détente between Washington and Pyongyang might reverse
dewlap (noun) = a fold of loose skin hanging from the neck from the Old English, dewe lappe, from dewe: of unknown meaning + lappe: loose fold; the word was originally used of cattle, then began to be used of the loose skin of humans too
e.g. Dewlaps hang down from the chins of old people
diegetic (noun) = (in a film or novel) concerning the world as experienced by the characters in the film (who only ‘see’ the events on screen), as opposed to the world experienced by the audience (who ‘see’ the events on screen, but who also see, for example, the neighbour in the seat next to them munching his popcorn, whom the characters on screen cannot see) (pronounced ‘dahy-uh-jet-ik’) for full explanation, see box below
e.g. Her husband, who was sitting next to her in the cinema, was laughing so loudly that she couldn’t hear the diegetic sounds coming from the screen
‘diegetic’ is the adjectival form of ‘diegesis’, which comes from the Greek, ‘diegesis’: ‘a narrative’, and ultimately from ‘dia-’: ‘across’ + ‘hegeisthai’: ‘to guide’. It was the Greek philosopher Plato (424–348 BC) who invented the term ‘diegesis’ (but it’s best not to go into exactly what Plato meant by ‘diegesis’ as it’s the exact opposite to what we mean today by the word).
We use ‘diegetic’ nowadays to refer to the world as experienced by the characters in the film (who only ‘see’ the events on screen), as opposed to the world as experienced by the audience (who ‘see’ the events on screen, but also the neighbour in the seat next to them picking his nose, whom the characters on screen cannot see).
A good way to show this difference is to consider the music in a film. If a character on screen turns up the volume of his car radio, and his on-screen wife objects, then this radio song – which is clearly being heard by the fictional characters, and is therefore part of the fictional world presented – is labelled ‘diegetic’. However, if that same husband and wife later run together along a beach, over which a soundtrack of ‘She Loves Me’ has been superimposed by the director, then this soundtrack music – which the audience can hear, but which the on screen husband and wife can’t (as far as they’re concerned, the beach they’re running along, is a silent one) – is ‘non-diegetic’.
diffuse (adj.) = (of a speaker) rambling; OR (of concept) widely dispersed (pronounced: ‘dih-fyoos’) from the Latin, diffundere: to pour out, from dis-: away, + fus-, the past participle stem of fundere: to pour; ‘diffuse’ literally means ‘poured out and caused to spread’ (hence ‘rambling’, of speech)
e.g. The priest’s sermon was diffuse, so the congregation couldn’t concentrate and soon fell asleep
to dilate on (a topic) (verb) = to speak or write at length about (a topic) (pronounced ‘dahy-leight’) from the Latin, dilatare: to enlarge, from di-: apart + latus: wide; a ‘dilation’ during a pregnancy refers of course to ‘a widening’ or ‘enlargening’, and ‘to dilate on a topic’ is, similarly, to ‘enlarge on a topic’
e.g. In their Oscar acceptance speech, actors usually dilate on their gratitude to their agent
diorama (noun) = a three-dimensional scene in which figures are arranged against a background (pronounced ‘dee-uh-ram-uh’) from the Greek, dia-: through + horama: view (just as ‘panorama’ means ‘all of a view’ in Greek)
e.g. Some people love to collect snow globes: those tiny glass balls with dioramas of Alpine scenes inside, over which snowflakes fall (if you shake the globe)
to disavow (something) (noun) = to reject (something) from the Old French, desavouer: to disavow
e.g. If a politician makes a racist comment, his words will quickly be disavowed by the party leader
disconsolate (adj.) = cheerless (pronounced ‘dis-kon-suh-lit’) from the medieval Latin, disconsolatus, from dis- (expressing a reversal) + consolatus: consoled, past participle of consolari: to console
e.g. After one spouse dies, the one left alive is often disconsolate
dirigiste (adj.) = (of an economy) strongly influenced by the government, rather than left alone to free-market forces (pronounced ‘dir-ig-iste’) from the Latin, dirigere: to direct
e.g. The United States has historically responded to a weak economy by announcing new building projects to boost employment: a typical manoeuvre for a dirigiste economy
discommodious (adj.) = causing trouble (pronounced ‘dis-kuh-mohd-ius’) from the French, dis-: not + commode: convenient
e.g. On a hot day, an overcoat is somewhat discommodious
discursive (adj.) = (of speech or writing) tending to depart from the main point and thus cover a range of subjects from the Latin, discurrere: to run away, from dis-: away + currere: to run
e.g. When alcohol flows, conversation becomes more discursive
to disgorge (an object) (verb) = to discharge violently (an object), as if from the throat (pronounced ‘dis-gorj’) from the French, desgorgier: to pour out, from des-: expressing removal, + gorge: throat
e.g. The plane landed with a sudden thump, before disgorging its fraught-looking passengers
disinformation (noun) = false information, intended to mislead based on the Russian, dezinformatsiya: misinformation
e.g. Liberal politicians accuse Fox TV of spreading disinformation harmful to the left
disinterested (adj.) = (regarding a situation) having no axe to grind in a particular situation from the English words, dis- + interest
e.g. The only way bankers can become truly disinterested is if their personal remuneration is not tied to the profits they generate
disputatious (adj.) = (of a person) fond of heated arguments (pronounced ‘dis-pyoo-tey-shuhs’) from the Latin, disputare: to dispute, from dis-: apart + putare: to reckon
e.g. Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing features Beatrice and Benedick, two disputatious lovers involved in the ‘merry war of wit’
dissonance between (one thing) and (another thing) (set phrase) = a lack of agreement between (one thing) and (another thing) from the Latin, dissonare: to not agree in sound
e.g. There had long been a dissonance between his idea of a pleasant afternoon (which involved fishing) and that of his wife (which revolved around shopping)
distrait (adj.) = (of a person) absent-minded because of anxiety (pronounced ‘dih-strey’) from the French, destrait, ultimately from the Latin, distrahere: to pull apart
e.g. The stress of conducting an affair was making him distrait and his job was suffering as a result
diurnal (adj.) = of, or during, daytime (pronounced ‘dahy-ur-nal’) from the Latin, diurnus: daily
e.g. Vampires are nocturnal but humans are mainly diurnal
divagations (noun) = digressions (pronounced ‘dahy-vuh-gey-shuns’) from the Latin, divagari: to wander around, from di-: widely + vagari: to wander
e.g. The interviewer looked on, perplexed, as John Lennon embarked on one of his drug-fuelled divagations
docent (noun) = a sort of teacher: usually a tour guide at a museum, or a lecturer at a university museum (pronounced ‘doh-suhnt’) from the Latin, docere: to teach
e.g. When you’re looking around a museum in a group, your mind sometimes wanders as it’s impossible to stay focused on what the docent is saying for 100 per cent of the time
(the) dog days of summer (set phrase) = the hottest days of the summer (that occur between July and September) for full explanation, see box below
e.g. It’s when the days are cold – rather than during the dog days of summer – that people turn up their Aga ovens
‘dog days’ is a translation of the Latin, ‘dies caniculares’, meaning ‘dog star days’. ‘dog star days’ was the Roman description for the hot weather between early July and early September, so called because the Romans falsely believed this summer heat could be explained by the ‘dog star’ (known as ‘Sirius’ today) rising and setting with the sun during these months. (And the reason for the ‘dog star’ being called thus, is that it’s the brightest star in the constellation known as ‘Greater Dog’, or ‘Canis Major’.)
And, as July to September is the hottest period of the year – and hence, the most sluggish – the phrase ‘dog days’ has the connotation of a period of inactivity.
doggerel (noun) = appalling poetry (pronounced ‘dog-er-el’) from the Middle English, doggerel, apparently from dog (as the poetry is so bad that it is only fit for dogs) + - rel
e.g. Sir John Betjeman – author of the poem ‘Slough’, which starts ‘Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough! / It isn’t fit for humans now…’ – was incapable of writing doggerel
doltish (adj.) = stupid from the English, dolt, a variant of dulled, past participle of dull
e.g. During half-time in football matches, the nation is forced to listen to the doltish commentary of the TV pundits
doppelgänger (noun) = a double of a person (pronounced ‘dop-uhl-geng-er’) from the German, doppelgänger: double-goer
e.g. My aunt has ravishing brown hair and an attractive facial mole: some say she is Cindy Crawford’s doppelgänger