2. To work in slight or superficial manner; to do in a small way; to tamper; to meddle. "Dabbling here and
there with the text." Atterbury.
During the first year at Dumfries, Burns for the first time began to dabble in politics.
J. C. Shairp. Dabbler
(Dab"bler) n.
1. One who dabbles.
2. One who dips slightly into anything; a superficial meddler. "our dabblers in politics." Swift.
Dabblingly
(Dab"bling*ly) adv. In a dabbling manner.
Dabchick
(Dab"chick`) n. [For dabchick. See Dap, Dip, cf. Dipchick.] (Zoöl.) A small water bird
allied to the grebes, remarkable for its quickness in diving; — called also dapchick, dobchick, dipchick,
didapper, dobber, devil-diver, hell-diver, and pied- billed grebe.
Daboia
(||Da*boi"a) n. (Zoöl.) A large and highly venomous Asiatic viper (Daboia xanthica).
Dabster
(Dab"ster), n. [Cf. Dab an expert.] One who is skilled; a master of his business; a proficient; an
adept. [Colloq.]
Sometimes improperly used for dabbler; as, "I am but a dabster with gentle art."
Dacapo
(||Da`ca"po) [It., from [the] head or beginning.] (Mus.) From the beginning; a direction to return
to, and end with, the first strain; — indicated by the letters D. C. Also, the strain so repeated.
Dace
(Dace) n. [Written also dare, dart, fr. F. dard dase, dart, of German origin. Dace is for an
older darce, fr. an OF. nom. darz. See Dart a javelin.] (Zoöl.) A small European cyprinoid fish (Squalius
leuciscus or Leuciscus vulgaris); — called also dare.
In America the name is given to several related fishes of the genera Squalius, Minnilus, etc. The black-
nosed dace is Rhinichthys atronasus the horned dace is Semotilus corporalis. For red dace, see Redfin.
Dachshund
(||Dachs"hund`) n. [G., from dachs badger + hund dog.] (Zoöl.) One of a breed of small
dogs with short crooked legs, and long body; — called also badger dog. There are two kinds, the rough-
haired and the smooth-haired.
Dacian
(Da"cian) a. Of or pertaining to Dacia or the Dacians. — n. A native of ancient Dacia.
Dacoit
(Da*coit") n. [Hind. &dsdotakait, &dsdotakayat.] One of a class of robbers, in India, who act
in gangs.
Dacoity
(Da*coit"y) n. The practice of gang robbery in India; robbery committed by dacoits.
Dacotahs
(Da*co"tahs) n. pl.; sing. Dacotan (Ethnol.) Same as Dacotas. Longfellow.
Dactyl
(Dac"tyl) n. [L. dactylus, Gr. da`ktylos a finger, a dactyl. Cf. Digit.]
1. (Pros.) A poetical foot of three sylables one long followed by two short, or one accented followed by
two unaccented; as, L. tëgmine, E. mer\b6ciful; — so called from the similarity of its arrangement to that
of the joints of a finger. [Written also dactyle.]
2. (Zoöl.) (a) A finger or toe; a digit. (b) The claw or terminal joint of a leg of an insect or crustacean.
Dactylar
(Dac"tyl*ar) a.
