<B>D region,</B> <B>=D layer.</B> <I>Ex. The D region ... is of great practical importance, since it contributes largely to the absorption of radio waves reflected from the ionosphere at any frequency, and determines the characteristics of waves on lower frequencies (New Scientist).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dregs">
<B>dregs, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>solid bits of matter that settle to the bottom of a liquid; lees. <BR> <I>Ex. After pouring the tea, she rinsed the dregs out of the teapot.</I> (SYN) sediment, grounds. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) the most worthless part; least desirable part. <BR> <I>Ex. Murderers are the dregs of humanity.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dreidel">
<B>dreidel, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a top spun with the fingers that has four sides marked with Hebrew letters and is played with on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. <DD><B> 2. </B>a game of chance played with the dreidel. </DL>
<A NAME="dreikanter">
<B>dreikanter, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> angular and prismatic pebbles whose faces have been cut by wind-blown sand. </DL>
<A NAME="drench">
<B>drench, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to wet thoroughly; soak. <BR> <I>Ex. A heavy rain drenched the campers and they had to dry out their wet clothing.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to cause to drink; compel (an animal) to swallow a medicine. <BR> <I>Ex. to drench a cow.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a thorough wetting; soaking. <DD><B> 2. </B>something that drenches; a solution for soaking. <DD><B> 3. </B>a draft of medicine given to an animal. noun <B>drencher.</B> adv. <B>drenchingly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="dresdenchina">
<B>Dresden china,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. </B>a kind of fine porcelain made in Meissen, Saxony, near Dresden; Meissen ware. It was the first true porcelain made in Europe. <DD><B> 2. </B>something made of China that resembles Dresden ware. <DD><B> 3a. </B>of Dresden china. <BR> <I>Ex. the ... Dresden china clock on the mantelpiece (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>resembling Dresden china. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) She had a delicate Dresden china beauty.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dress">
<B>dress, </B>noun, adjective, verb, <B>dressed</B> or <B>drest,</B> <B>dressing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an outer garment worn by women, girls, and babies. (SYN) frock, gown. <DD><B> 2. </B>an outer covering, such as the feathers of birds. <DD><B> 3. </B>clothing, especially outer clothing. <BR> <I>Ex. neat dress. Boys think less about dress than girls do.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>formal clothes. <BR> <I>Ex. in full dress.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Figurative.) the outer form under which anything is presented. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>of or for a dress. <BR> <I>Ex. a dress pattern, dress trimmings.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>of formal dress; characterized by formal dress. <BR> <I>Ex. a dress occasion.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>for semiformal or business wear. <BR> <I>Ex. A dress shirt and tie are required attire in most business offices.</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1a. </B>to put clothes on. <BR> <I>Ex. She dressed the baby quickly on cold mornings.</I> (SYN) attire, garb. <DD><B> b. </B>to provide clothes for; design clothes for. <BR> <I>Ex. Federico Forquet dresses some of the youngest society women in Rome (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to put formal clothes on. <DD><B> 3. </B>to decorate; trim; adorn. <BR> <I>Ex. The store windows were dressed for Christmas.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to make ready for use; prepare (food, skins, ore, timber, soil, etc.) by some particular process. <BR> <I>Ex. to dress a sheepskin. The butcher dressed the chickens by pulling out the feathers, cutting off the heads and feet, and taking out the insides.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to comb, brush, and arrange (hair). <BR> <I>Ex. Mother has her hair dressed each week.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>to put medicine or a bandage on (a wound or sore). <BR> <I>Ex. The nurse dressed the wound every day.</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>to form in a straight line. <BR> <I>Ex. The captain ordered the soldiers to dress their ranks.</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>to smooth; finish. <BR> <I>Ex. to dress leather.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to put clothes on oneself. <BR> <I>Ex. He is dressing for dinner.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to put on formal clothes. <DD><B> 3. </B>to wear clothes properly and attractively. <BR> <I>Ex. Some people don't know how to dress.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to form in a straight line. </DL>
<A NAME="dressdown">
<B>dress down,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> a. </B>to scold; rebuke. <BR> <I>Ex. He retains an aversion to bureaucratic lingo and recently dressed down a couple of tax experts interviewing him on the radio for using the time-honored tax cliche "spouse" (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Informal.) to beat; thrash. <BR> <I>Ex. He was dressed down till he was black and blue.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>to dress casually or informally. <BR> <I>Ex. Canadian women, though hardly as staid as their men, have made a habit of dressing down (Macleans).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>dress ship.</B> </I>See under <B>ship.</B> <BR><I>expr. <B>dress to kill,</B> </I>(Slang.) to dress very elegantly. <BR> <I>Ex. I had on my blue cotton dress, the one with the paisley print, and my white heels and white gloves. I was really dressed to kill (Atlantic).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>dress up,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to put on one's best clothes; dress with care or elegance. </I> <I>Ex. You see very often a king of England or France dressed up like a Julius Caesar (Joseph Addison).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to put on formal clothes. <BR> <I>Ex. Will this be an informal dinner or do we have to dress up?</I> <DD><B> c. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. The Nagas want independence and no diplomatic formula can dress up a solution that falls short of this aim (Manchester Guardian Weekly).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dressage">
<B>dressage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the guiding of a horse through various paces and postures without using reins or noticeable signals. </DL>
<A NAME="dresscircle">
<B>dress circle,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a circle or section of seats in a theater, originally reserved for persons in formal dress. </DL>
<A NAME="dresscoat">
<B>dress coat,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a formal coat with an open front and two long tails, worn by men for formal occasions. </DL>
<A NAME="dressedlumber">
<B>dressed lumber,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> lumber that comes in smooth, evenly cut boards. </DL>
<A NAME="dresser">
<B>dresser</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who dresses (himself, another person, a shop window, or a wound). <BR> <I>Ex. the dresser for an actress. He ... prided himself on being an immaculate dresser (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a tool or machine to prepare things for use. </DL>
<A NAME="dresser">
<B>dresser</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a piece of furniture with drawers for clothes and usually a mirror; bureau. <DD><B> 2. </B>a piece of furniture with shelves for dishes. <BR> <I>Ex. The pewter plates on the dresser Caught and reflected the flame (Longfellow).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Obsolete.) a table on which to get food ready for serving. </DL>
<A NAME="dresserset">
<B>dresser set,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a set of toilet articles, such as a comb, hairbrush, and mirror. </DL>
<A NAME="dressform">
<B>dress form,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a frame, sometimes of wire, in the form of a woman, used for fitting dresses. It is usually without arms and legs and is mounted on a stand. </DL>
<A NAME="dressgoods">
<B>dress goods,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> cloth for women's and children's dresses. </DL>
<B>dressing, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a medicine or bandage put on a wound or sore. <DD><B> 2. </B>a mixture of bread crumbs, seasoning, and sometimes meat and celery, used to stuff chicken, turkey, or other fowl. <DD><B> 3. </B>a sauce for salads, fish, meat, and other foods. <BR> <I>Ex. French dressing.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>what is put on or in something to get it ready for use, such as: <DD><B> a. </B>fertilizer. <DD><B> b. </B>the glaze or sizing for a fabric. <DD><B> 5. </B>the act of one that dresses. <DD><B> 6. </B><B>=dressing-down.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="dressingcase">
<B>dressing case,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a case containing toilet articles, such as a comb, hairbrush, and mirror. </DL>
<A NAME="dressingdown">
<B>dressing-down, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a scolding; rebuke. <BR> <I>Ex. She had given the bewildered desk clerk a ten-minute dressing-down for the hotel's ... lack of fire protection (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a beating; thrashing. </DL>
<A NAME="dressinggown">
<B>dressing gown,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a loose robe worn while dressing or resting. <BR> <I>Ex. It ... contained everything the painfully well-dressed man would require for the night--silk pyjamas, silk dressing gown (Geoffrey Household).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dressingroom">
<B>dressing room,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a room in which to dress, especially one in a theater in which actors put on makeup and costume. </DL>
<A NAME="dressingsack">
<B>dressing sack,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a loose jacket worn while dressing or resting. </DL>
<A NAME="dressingstation">
<B>dressing station,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a temporary building or place for the emergency treatment of wounded or injured persons. </DL>
<A NAME="dressingtable">
<B>dressing table,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a table with a mirror; vanity. A woman sits at it to comb her hair and put on makeup. </DL>
<A NAME="dressmaker">
<B>dressmaker, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a person whose work is making or altering women's dresses and other clothing. <DD><I>adj. </I> (of women's clothing) having delicate or flowing lines and decoration. </DL>
<A NAME="dressmakerform">
<B>dressmaker form,</B> =dress form.</DL>
<A NAME="dressmaking">
<B>dressmaking, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act or work of making dresses and other women's clothing. </DL>
<A NAME="dressparade">
<B>dress parade,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a formal parade of soldiers or sailors in dress uniform. </DL>
<A NAME="dressrehearsal">
<B>dress rehearsal,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a rehearsal of a play with costumes and scenery as for a regular performance. </DL>
<A NAME="dressshield">
<B>dress shield,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a pad worn by women underthe arm to protect clothes from perspiration. </DL>
