<B>dice, </B>noun, pl. of <B>die</B> (2), verb, <B>diced,</B> <B>dicing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1a. </B>small cubes with a different number of spots (one to six) on each side. Dice are used in pairs and shaken and thrown from the hand or a box in playing some games and in gambling. <DD><B> b. </B>any small cubes or square blocks. <DD><B> 2a. </B>a game played with dice. <DD><B> b. </B>the throwing or use of dice. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1a. </B>to play games or gamble with dice, tossing them to see how many spots there will be on the sides that turn up. <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. to dice with death. Liverpool, too, will not wish to dice unduly with the conditions and the fates (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to split into small fragments when broken. <BR> <I>Ex. We make the glass so that it will dice when it implodes, disintegrating to pieces small enough to pass through valves and pumps without damaging them (Scientific American).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(in automobile racing) to jockey at close quarters for the lead. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to cut into small cubes. <BR> <I>Ex. Carrots are sometimes diced before being cooked. Most of the celery is diced right at the farm before it is sent to Duluth (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to mark or ornament with a pattern of cubes or squares; checker. <DD><B> 3. </B>to lose or throw away by gambling with dice. <BR> <I>Ex. He diced his fortune away.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>load the dice,</B> </I>(Informal.) to decide beforehand the chances for success or failure; insure the outcome of anything in advance. <BR> <I>Ex. The producer loads the dice against a company ... by introducing so much background noise (Manchester Guardian Weekly).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>no dice,</B> (Informal.) <DD><B> a. </B>a refusal; no. </I> <I>Ex. A friend of mine wanted to interview me. I said no dice (Jon Ruddy). It was payment in full or no dice (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to no avail; in vain. <BR> <I>Ex. Enticed them to talk about other London clubs, hoping for a little Old Boy backlash, but no dice (Punch).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dice">
<B>Dice, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Greek Mythology.) the daughter of Zeus and Themis. She represented justice. Also, <B>Dike.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="dicebox">
<B>dicebox, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a box for throwing dice in games and gambling. </DL>
<A NAME="dicentra">
<B>dicentra, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any plant of a group of perennial herbs of the fumitory family, having drooping, heart-shaped flowers, such as the bleeding heart, Dutchman's-breeches, and squirrel corn. </DL>
<A NAME="dicentric">
<B>dicentric, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having two centromeres. <BR> <I>Ex. Variegation was studied in a hybrid ... and found to be due to dicentric chromosomes (Harold W. Rickett).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dicephalous">
<B>dicephalous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having two heads. </DL>
<A NAME="dicer">
<B>dicer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who plays at dice. <DD><B> 2. </B>a device for cutting into small cubes. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Slang.) a hat, especially a stiff hat. <BR> <I>Ex. Enveloped in a billowing vicuna coat, a green velours dicer cocked on his head ... (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dicey">
<B>dicey, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British Slang.) <DD><B> 1. </B>chancy; risky. <BR> <I>Ex. ... when a patient goes into an operating theatre, which can be just as dicey as an emergency landing (Punch).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>doubtful; uncertain. <BR> <I>Ex. At a guess I'd say we're in for a dicey transitional period on the boards (Alan Coren).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dichasial">
<B>dichasial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) having to do with or like a dichasium. </DL>
<A NAME="dichasium">
<B>dichasium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-sia.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) a cymose inflorescence in which the main axis produces a pair of lateral axes below the terminal flower, each of which similarly produces a pair, and so on. </DL>
<A NAME="dichlamydeous">
<B>dichlamydeous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) having both a calyx and a corolla. </DL>
<A NAME="dichlorid">
<B>dichlorid, </B>noun. =dichloride.</DL>
<A NAME="dichloride">
<B>dichloride, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a chloride whose molecules contain two atoms of chlorine; bichloride. <BR> <I>Ex. They tested the ... dichlorides of manganese, iron and cobalt (Science News Letter).</I> </DL>
<B>dichlorvos, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an organic phosphate used as an insecticide in aerosol form or by impregnating a resin strip with it. (Abbr:) DDVP (no periods). </DL>
<A NAME="dichondra">
<B>dichondra, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a genus of tropical creeping vines of the morning-glory family, used for ground cover and on lawns. </DL>
<A NAME="dichoptic">
<B>dichoptic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having the eyes widely separated. <BR> <I>Ex. a dichoptic insect.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dichotomic">
<B>dichotomic, </B>adjective. =dichotomous.</DL>
<A NAME="dichotomist">
<B>dichotomist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who dichotomizes. </DL>
<A NAME="dichotomization">
<B>dichotomization, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>division into two parts or into pairs. <DD><B> 2. </B>separation or classification by dual or binary subdivision. </DL>
<A NAME="dichotomize">
<B>dichotomize, </B>verb, <B>-mized,</B> <B>-mizing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to divide into two parts; divide into pairs. <BR> <I>Ex. A correct answer can not be dichotomized into the two categories, yes or no (Ogburn and Nimkoff).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> (Botany.) to separate into two parts, as a root, stem, or leaf vein; become dichotomous. </DL>
<A NAME="dichotomous">
<B>dichotomous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>divided or dividing into two parts. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Botany.) branching by repeated divisions into two. adv. <B>dichotomously.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="dichotomy">
<B>dichotomy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-mies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>division into two parts. <BR> <I>Ex. the arts-science dichotomy. Between the blueprints in the ivory tower and the working models on the ground there is a slight dichotomy (Punch).</I> <DD><B> 2a. </B>(Botany.) a branching by repeated division into two parts. <DD><B> b. </B>(Zoology.) a form of branching in which each successive axis divides into two; repeated bifurcation, such as that of the veins. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Logic.) classification by division, or by successive subdivision, into two mutually exclusive groups or sections. <BR> <I>Ex. the dichotomy in the universe of the living and the nonliving.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Astronomy.) the phase of the moon, or of an inferior planet, when half of its face is visible. </DL>
<A NAME="dichroic">
<B>dichroic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having or showing two colors. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Mineralogy.) (of a crystal) showing two different colors according to the direction of transmitted light, due to difference in the amount of absorption of the rays. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Chemistry.) (of a solution) showing different colors for different concentrations, as a solution of chlorophyll. </DL>
<A NAME="dichroism">
<B>dichroism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the quality of being dichroic; dichromaticism. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=dichromatism </B>(def. 1). </DL>
<A NAME="dichroite">
<B>dichroite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> iolite, a mineral whose crystals are often dichroic. </DL>
<A NAME="dichroitic">
<B>dichroitic, </B>adjective. =dichroic.</DL>
<A NAME="dichromat">
<B>dichromat, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person suffering from dichromatism. <BR> <I>Ex. There are three types of dichromats, known as protanopes, deuteranopes and tritanopes respectively (New Scientist).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dichromate">
<B>dichromate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a compound whose molecules have two chromium atoms; bichromate. </DL>
<A NAME="dichromatic">
<B>dichromatic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having two colors; dichroic; dichromic. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Zoology.) showing two color phases independent of phases correlated with age, sex, or season. <BR> <I>Ex. Various birds and insects are dichromatic.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>of or affected with dichromatism (def. 2). </DL>
<B>dichromatism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the quality or condition of being dichromatic. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Medicine, Psychology.) color blindness in which only two of the primary colors can be seen; dichromatic vision. </DL>
<A NAME="dichromic">
<B>dichromic</B> (1), adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with or including two colors only. </DL>
<A NAME="dichromic">
<B>dichromic</B> (2), adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Chemistry.) containing two chromium atoms (or their equivalents). </DL>
<A NAME="dichromicacid">
<B>dichromic acid,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a hypothetical acid from which a series of salts, the dichromates or bichromates, are formed. </DL>
<A NAME="dichromicvision">
<B>dichromic vision,</B> =dichromatism.</DL>
<A NAME="dichrooscope">
<B>dichrooscope, </B>noun. =dichroscope.</DL>
<A NAME="dichroscope">
<B>dichroscope, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an instrument for testing the dichroism of crystals. </DL>
<A NAME="dichroscopic">
<B>dichroscopic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with the dichroscope. </DL>
<A NAME="dicing">
<B>dicing, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>playing at dice. <DD><B> 2. </B>a decoration with cubelike figures. </DL>
<A NAME="dick">
<B>dick, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) a detective. <BR> <I>Ex. The bloke slides out of the bathroom window, the only one in the house which hadn't got a dick sitting under the sill, and leaps into the fog (Margery Allingham).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dickcissel">
<B>dickcissel, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a finch common in the grasslands of central United States, the male of which has a yellow breast and black crescent on the throat. </DL>
<A NAME="dickens">
<B>dickens, </B>noun, interjection.<DL COMPACT><DD> Usually, <B>the dickens,</B> a mild oath or exclamation of surprise or annoyance; the deuce; the devil. <BR> <I>Ex. I cannot tell what the dickens his name is (Shakespeare). The dickens! Has the Rogue of a Count play'd us another trick then? (Vanbrugh and Cibber).</I> </DL>
