Chapter Drunkenness to Dudgeon of D by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Drunkenness to Dudgeon

Drunkenness It is said that if children eat owl's eggs they will never be addicted to strong drinks.

"Tous les oiseaux lui [i.e. to Bacchus]étaient agréable, excepté la chouette dont les oeufs avaient la vertu de rendre les enfans qui les mangeaient ennemis du vin." - Noel: Dictionnaire de la Fable, vol. i. p.206.

Drupner [the dripper ]. A gold ring given to Odin; every ninth night other rings dropped from it of equal value to itself. (The Edda.)

Drury Lane (London) takes its name from the habitation of the great Drury family. Sir William Drury, K.G., was a most able commander in the Irish wars. Drury House stood on the site of the present Olympic theatre.

Druses (2 syl.). A people of Syria governed by emirs. Their faith is a mixture of the Pentateuch, the Gospel, the Koran, and Sufism. They offer up their devotions both in mosques and churches, worship the images of saints, and yet observe the fast of Ramadan. Their language is pure Arabic. (Hakem, the incarnate spirit, was assisted by Darasi in propounding his religion to these Syrians; and the word Druse is said to be derived from Darasi, shortened onto D'rasi.)

Dry Thirsty. Hence to drink is to "wet your whistle" (i.e. throat); and malt liquor is called "heavy wet." (Anglo- Saxon dryg, dry.)

Dry Blow (A). A blow which does not bring blood.

Dry Goods (in merchandise), such as cloths, stuffs, silks, laces, and drapery in general, as opposed to groceries.

Dry Lodgings Sleeping accommodation without board. Gentlemen who take their meals at clubs live in dry lodgings.

"Dry Lodginge of seven weeks, £0 4s. 1d." - Sir W. Scott: Old Mortality (Intr. Rob. Patterson deb. to Margaret Chrystale).

Dry-nurse When a superior officer does not know his duty, and is instructed in it by an inferior officer, he is said to be dry-nursed. The inferior nurses the superior, as a dry-nurse rears an infant.

Dry Rot The spontaneous rot of timber or wall-paper, not unfrequently produced by certain fungi attaching themselves thereto. It is called dry rot because the wood is not purposely exposed to wet, although, without doubt, damp from defective ventilation is largely present, and the greenness of wood employed contributes greatly to the decay.

Dry Sea (A). A sandy desert. The camel is the ship of the desert. We read of the Persian sea of sand.

"The see that men slepen the gravely see, that is alle gravelle and sond with outen only drope of watre." - Mandeville:Travels.

Dry Shave (A). A shave without soaping the face; to scrape the face with a piece of iron hoop; to scratch the face; to box it and bruise it. Sometimes it means to beat and bruise generally; ill usage.

"The fellow will get a dry shave."
Peter Pindar: Great Cry and Little Wool, Ep 1.
"I'll shave her, like a punished soldier, dry."
Peter Pindar: The Lousiad, canto ii.

Dry Style (of writing). Without pathos, without light and shade; dull level, and unamusing.

Dry Wine Opposed to sweet or fruity wine. In sweet wine some of the sugar is not yet decomposed; in dry wine all the sugar has been converted into alcohol. The doctoring of wine to improve its quality is called dosage.

"Upon the nature and amount of the dosage,the character of the wine (whether it be dry or sweet, light or strong) very much depends." - Vizetelly: Facts about Champagne, chap. v. p.59.

Dryads Nymphs