dipn.1
/dɪp/, U.S. /dɪp/ 1.
a. An act of dipping; a plunge or brief immersion in water or other liquid; a bathe; also transferred and figurative: see various senses of the verb.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > action or process of immersing or dipping > [noun] > an instance of
dippingc1440
dip1598
dunk1932
dunking1933
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > bathing > an act of bathing
bain1484
dip1598
balneum1652
tub1776
bathe1827
shower1836
bogy1849
1598 J. Marston Scourge of Villanie i. iv. sig. D5 For ingrain'd Habites, died with often dips, Art not so soone discoloured.
1686 J. Goad Astro-meteorologica i. xvi. 101 The Celerity of a Boat is continued by a successive dip of the Oar.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Candle A Trough, to catch the Droppings, as the Candles are taken out, each Dip.
1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ix. 108 Have ready..a Pan of clean cold Water, just give your Pudding one dip in.
1778 F. Burney Evelina I. xix. 122 I should advise you to take another dip.
1843 G. P. R. James Forest Days I. ii. 26 I'll give him a dip in the horse pond.
1871 J. Miller Songs Italy (1878) 14 There was only the sound of the long oars' dip, As the low moon sailed up the sea.
1876 L. Stephen Hours in Libr. 2nd Ser. vi. 267 He rode sixty miles from his house to have a dip in the sea.
1879 J. J. Young Ceramic Art 81 Stone-ware is very seldom glazed by a ‘dip’.
b. a dip in or into (a book): see dip v. 14.
ΚΠ
1760 S. Foote Minor i. 32 Come, shall we have a dip in the history of the Four Kings, this morning?
1838 J. Grant Sketches London 373 A half-hour's ‘dip’ into some circulating-library book.
c. The act of dipping up liquid, e.g. ink with the pen; the quantity taken up at one act of dipping.
ΚΠ
1841 S. Warren Ten Thousand a-Year III. 10 He took his pen in his right hand with a fresh dip of ink in it.
1889 Durham Univ. Jrnl. 196 The same ‘dip of ink’ is always ready.
d. A curtsy, a ‘bob’: cf. dip v. 11b.
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the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > [noun] > manifestation of respect > bowing, kneeling, or curtseying > a bow or curtsey
crookc1330
beckc1375
obediencec1390
obeisancea1393
reverencec1400
inclinationa1425
courtesy1508
curtsy1513
honour1531
leg1548
duck1554
beisance1556
jouk1567
congee1577
crouch1597
humblesso1599
inclinabo1607
salaam1613
dop1616
scrape1628
bowa1656
visit-leg1673
couchee1691
dip1792
bob1825
1792 J. Wolcot Ode to Burke in Wks. (1812) III. 38 Then the Dame will answer with a dip.
1808 J. Wolcot Epist. to Mrs. Clarke in Wks. (1812) V. 392 The nods of Monarchs and the dips of Queens.
e. A going down out of sight or below the horizon.
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the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > [noun] > out of sight
dip1864
1864 Ld. Tennyson Enoch Arden in Enoch Arden, etc. 14 Ev'n to the last dip of the vanishing sail She watch'd it.
f. Nautical. The position of being dipped or lowered (of a sail: see dip v. 6): in at the dip.
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society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of sails, spars, or rigging > with sails set [phrase] > lowered
at the dip1886
1886 J. M. Caulfeild Seamanship Notes 6 The church pendant is used at the dip at the mizen truck while working cables.
1893 Markham in Daily News 3 July 5/6 I directed my flag lieutenant to keep the signal..at the dip.
g. Prosody. An unstressed element in a line of alliterative verse. (German senkung.) Cf. lift n.2
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society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > versification > rhythm > [noun] > beat > thesis
thesisa1398
slacka1889
dip1894
1894 H. Sweet Anglo-Saxon Reader (ed. 7) p. lxxxviii Each verse usually consists of four metrical elements, two lifts and two dips—that is, two strong- and two weak-stress elements.
1961 Rev. Eng. Stud. 12 346 A metrical interpretation which..sets up metrical units (‘lifts’ and ‘dips’) which are defined in terms of stress relationships.
1961 Rev. Eng. Stud. 12 347 Sequences of two unstressed syllables are counted as two ‘dips’, not one, if the two syllables belong to separate ‘breath-groups’.
h. A receptacle from which a prize may be obtained by dipping; also figurative. Cf. lucky dip n., lucky bag n. 1, bran-tub n.
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society > leisure > entertainment > place of amusement or entertainment > fairground or amusement park > [noun] > lucky dip, etc.
lucky bag1788
bran-tub1858
bran-pie1877
lucky dip1878
fishpond1892
dip1915
1915 ‘Bartimeus’ Tall Ship vii. 129 Pennies..to be extracted at great personal risk from an electric dip.
1927 W. E. Collinson Contemp. Eng. 20 Here one could for a small sum put one's hand into the..lucky dive (dip) and draw out a prize.
1934 V. M. Yeates Winged Victory i. xii. 104 Marsden..had had his left arm damaged by a bullet and had gone to hospital very pleased with himself for having picked out of the dip the ideal Blighty.
2. Depth or amount of submergence (e.g. of a paddle-wheel) or depression; depth or distance below a particular level; depth of a vessel, etc.
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the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > [noun] > below (specific) level
fall1592
dip1793
drop1794
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §97 That ruler would mark upon the upright rod, the dip of the point on which it stood, below the level of the instrument.
1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Dip, the depth of submergence of the float of a paddlewheel.
1880 Act 43 & 44 Vict. c. 24 §17 Any attempt..to deceive him in taking the dip or gauge of any vessel.
3. Astronomy and Surveying. The angular distance of the visible horizon below the horizontal plane through the observer's eye; the apparent depression of the horizon due to the observer's elevation, which has to be allowed for in taking the altitude of a heavenly body.
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the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > [noun] > taking of altitudes > apparent depression of horizon
dip1774
1774 M. Mackenzie Treat. Maritim Surv. i. 18 A Table of the Depression, or Dip, of the Horizon of the Sea.
1820 W. Scoresby Acct. Arctic Regions I. 444 The dip of the sea..at 20 feet height of the eye, the error would be 56 miles.
1828 Moore's Pract. Navigator (ed. 20) 154 The dip to be subtracted in the fore observation, and to be added in the back observation.
1874 F. G. D. Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. v. 139 Measure angle..from maintop; add dip for that height.
4. The downward inclination of the magnetic needle at any particular place; the angle which the direction of the needle makes with the horizon.
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > bit of magnetized steel as direction indicator > dip of needle
inclination1613
dip1728
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Dipping-Needle This in the Year 1576 he [sc. Robert Norman] found at London to be 71° 50′. But the Dip varies as well as the Horizontal Direction; and is now found, at the same Place, to be 75° 10′.
1820 W. Scoresby Acct. Arctic Regions II. 545 The intensity of the magnetic force was the greatest where the dip was the greatest.
1832 Nat. Philos. (Libr. Useful Knowl.) II. Magnetism iii. §98. 24 The dip diminishes as we approach the equator, and increases as we recede from it on either side.
c1865 J. Wylde Circle of Sci. I. 245/2 At the present time, the dip for London is about 67°.
5.
a. Downward slope of a surface; esp. in Mining and Geology the downward slope of a stratum or vein: estimated, as to direction, by the point of the compass towards which the line of greatest slope tends, and as to magnitude, by its angle of inclination to the horizon.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > inclination > [noun] > inclination from the level or slope > downwards
fall1538
downwith1593
declining1601
devexity1601
devex1627
declension1640
proneness1686
dip1708
versant1859
1708 J. C. Compl. Collier 16 in T. Nourse Mistery of Husbandry Discover'd (ed. 3) There is a Rise, or Ascent, for a Colliery under Ground, and so by Consequence the contrary way, a Dip or Setling.
1747 W. Hooson Miners Dict. sig. Giij The natural Dipp of a Vein is when it runs it self more down into the Rock.
1789 J. Brand Hist. & Antiq. Newcastle II. 679 The strata..have an inclination or descent, called the dip, to some particular part of the horizon.
1831 H. T. De la Beche Geol. Man. App. 518 The direction of faults and mineral veins, and the dip of strata, are daily becoming of greater importance.
1877 A. H. Green Geol. for Students: Physical Geol. (ed. 2) 343 The line of dip is the line of greatest inclination that can be drawn on the surface of a bed.
1891 ‘S. C. Scrivener’ Our Fields & Cities 10 The very sudden lowering of the water-line in the river just around the gap, and the dip of the water quickly and more quickly approaching the gap.
b. Mining. Short for dip-head n. at Compounds 1.
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1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 69/1 The drawing roads for the coal may be of three different kinds,—(1) levels driven at right angles to the dip,..(2) rise ways, known as jinny roads, jig-brows, or up-brows,..(3) dip or down-brows, requiring engine power.
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining Dip.., a heading or other underground way driven to the deep... It is usual to drive a pair of dips about 10 yards apart every 180 yards or so.
1967 Gloss. Mining Terms (B.S.I.) viii. 11 Dip, an underground roadway driven downhill, usually following the inclination of the strata.
6.
a. A hollow or depression to which the surrounding high ground dips or sinks.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > hollow or depression > [noun]
pathOE
slackc1400
navela1425
trough1513
nook1555
falling1565
swale1584
hella1653
depression1665
holl1701
sag1727
dip1783
recession1799
holler1845
sike1859
sitch1888
sulcus1901
1783 W. Beckford Dreams xiii. 149 We saw groves and villages in the dips of the hills.
1789 W. Gilpin Observ. River Wye (ed. 2) 129 Woody hills which form beautiful dips at their intersections.
1863 ‘G. Eliot’ Romola II. xx. 250 The great dip of ground..making a gulf between her and the sombre calm of the mountains.
1878 H. M. Stanley Through Dark Continent I. xvi. 434 The main column arrived at the centre of the dip in the Uzimba ridge.
b. (See quot.)
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1874 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. I. 704/2 Dip,..The slight downward inclination of the arms of an axle... (Fortification.) a. The superior slope of a parapet. b. The inclination of the sole of an embrasure.
7. (Short for dip-candle n. at Compounds 1.) A candle made by repeatedly dipping a wick into melted tallow.
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the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [noun] > made from animal fat > by dipping in tallow
tallow candle1452
dip1815
tallow1819
dip-candle1829
tolly1890
1815 W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 15 Paper..brown sugar to fold, Tea, soap..dip or choice mould.
1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer I. viii. 231 A purser's dip—vulgo, a farthing candle.
c1865 H. Letheby in J. Wylde Circle of Sci. I. 93/2 Two sorts of candles are commonly met with in commerce—namely dips and moulds.
1887 R. L. Stevenson Underwoods i. xxx. 63 I am a kind of farthing dip Unfriendly to the nose and eyes.
8.
a. A preparation into which something is dipped, as bronzing-dip, sheep-dip, etc. (cf. dip v. 3). Also, a vat or tank in which sheep-dip is used. So dip yard.
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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > [noun] > sheep washing or dipping > sheep-wash or -dip
sheep-watera1722
fag water1848
sheep-wash1858
sheep-dip1865
dip1871
wash1933
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > [noun] > sheep washing or dipping > place
wash-dyke1765
wash-pool1827
sheep-dip1865
dip1871
soak-hole1881
dipper1891
1871 Trans. Highl. & Agric. Soc. Scot. 4th Ser. III. 269 Any other dips I have seen.
1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Dip, a poisonous liquid in which sheep are dipped to kill fags.
1878 E. S. Elwell Boy Colonists 103 A large dip was built there.
1883 R. Haldane Workshop Receipts 2nd Ser. 244 The bronzing dip may be prepared by dissolving in 1 gal. hot water ½ lb. each perchloride of iron and perchloride of copper.
1885 Daily News 15 Feb. 5/6 Before the arrival of the last convoy there the carbolic acid was exhausted. Sheep dip had to be substituted.
1900 S. E. Blacke Flights from Land of Bellbird i. 16 Then there were visits to the ‘dip’ beyond, where the sheep were washed.
1922 W. Perry et al. Sheep Farming in N.Z. iii. 20 It is wise to build a dip.
1933 L. G. D. Acland in Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) 2 Dec. 15/7 Yards for dipping [sheep]..are generally called dip yards.
b. A grade of turpentine. (See quot 1884, and cf. dipping n. 2b.)
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society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > other vegetable materials > plant resin > [noun] > oleoresins from coniferous trees
pitcheOE
turpentine1322
alkitranc1400
cedriac1420
perrosin?a1425
pitch-rosinc1450
terebinth1483
alchitrean1562
frankincense1577
Venice turpentine1577
terebinthine1578
Venetian turpentine1598
Burgundy pitch1678
Strasbourg turpentine1683
terebinthina1693
Scio turpentine1710
rhinehurst1724
Canada balsam1754
Canada balsam1754
Canada turpentine1762
galipot1791
Canada pitch1831
dipping1832
pine gum1853
dip1856
scrape1856
virgin dip1856
pinol1889
1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 343 The flow of the first year..is of higher value than the ordinary dip. It is called ‘virgin dip.’
1862 ‘E. Kirke’ Among Pines 167 I've four barr'ls of ‘dip’ and tu of ‘hard’.
1884 C. S. Sargent Rep. Forests N. Amer. 517 ‘Virgin dip,’ or ‘Soft white gum turpentine’— the product of the first year the trees are worked.
1896 Appletons' Pop. Sci. Monthly Feb. 473 The dip or crude turpentine is emptied.
1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. (rev. ed.) XI. 476/1 After metestrus a relatively longer period of diestrus occurs before proestrus recurs... All these phases can be demonstrated in the guinea pig and rat.
9.
a. A sweet sauce for puddings, etc. Also, any sauce or dressing; spec. the fat and juice left in the pan after meat has been cooked. (English regional and U.S.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > additive > sauce or dressing > [noun]
sauce1340
dressing1504
embamma1623
ragout1653
dipa1825
dipping sauce1948
the world > food and drink > food > additive > sauce or dressing > [noun] > dip
dipa1825
a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) Dip, a sauce for dumplings, composed of melted butter, vinegar, and brown sugar.
1846 J. E. Worcester Universal Dict. Eng. Lang. Dip,..sauce made of fat pork for fish. U.S.
1884 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester (1886) Dip, sweet sauce eaten with pudding. If flavoured with brandy it is called Brandy-dip.
1894 T. F. Robley Hist. Bourbon County, Kansas 26 Some ‘rashers’ are cut from the ‘flitch’ of bacon and the grease tried out; eggs are fried, and ‘dip’ is made.
1931 ‘N. Bell’ Life & Andrew Otway viii. 345 ‘Lots of eggs..and loads of what cook used to call dip.’.. ‘I shall eat the dip..with a piece of bread. You know, rub it round the plate.’
1960 Spectator 10 June 848 Jam-butties one day and bread and dip the next.
b. plural. Dough-boys. Australian colloquial.
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1859 D. Bunce Trav. with Dr. Leichhardt 161 Dr. Leichhardt gave the party a quantity of dough-boys, or, as we called them, dips.
1859 D. Bunce Trav. with Dr. Leichhardt 171 Dr. Leichhardt ordered the cook to mix up a lot of flour, and treated us all to a feed of dips.
c. A savoury mixture into which biscuits, etc., are dipped.
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1960 J. Kirkwood There must be Pony! viii. 57 We were up to our asses in dips: clam dip, cheese dip, mushroom dip.
1962 L. Deighton Ipcress File xxi. 143 I was loaded with anchovy, cheese dip, hard egg and salmon.
1962 Woman's Own 1 Dec. 49/2 Have a trolley of savouries and ‘dips’ ready to wheel in.
1962 Woman's Own 1 Dec. 50/2 Use as a dip with crisps or savoury biscuits.
10. Thieves' slang. A pickpocket; also pocket-picking. (Cf. dip v. 9b.)
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the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > pickpocket or cutpurse > [noun] > pickpocket
fig-boyc1555
foister1585
foist1591
pickpocket1591
bung1600
diver1608
pocket-picker1622
pocketeerc1626
bung-nipper1659
file1673
filer1674
shark1707
hoister1708
knuckle1781
knuckler1801
buzzgloak1819
cly-faker1819
fingersmith1819
knuck1819
fogle hunter1821
buzzman1832
nobbler1839
wire1851
gonoph1853
wirer1857
dip1859
moll-tooler1859
buzzer1862
hook1863
snotter1864
tool1865
pocket-cutter1885
dipper1889
pogue-hunter1896
pick1902
finger1925
whizz1925
whizzer1925
prat diggera1931
whizz-boy1931
whizz-man1932
reefer1935
1859 G. W. Matsell Vocabulum 26 (Farmer).
1888 St. Louis Globe Democrat in Farmer Amer. A dip touched the Canadian sheriff for his watch and massive chain while he was reading the Riot Act.
1926 J. Black You can't Win iv. 35 No Missouri dip would take his roll, extract two fifty-dollar bills, and put the rest back in his pocket.
1936 ‘J. Curtis’ Gilt Kid xxix. 279 ‘Ginger King,’ he said, ‘I'm going to nick you for a dip.’
1938 F. D. Sharpe Sharpe of Flying Squad i. 13 They have rich, picturesque names, such as..‘Jimmy the Dip’.
1970 Daily Tel. 29 Apr. 4/6 New Yorkers who have had their pockets picked or handbags rifled on the city's Underground in recent years learned yesterday that the person responsible was probably a professional ‘dip’.
11. In various attributive uses of sense 5.
ΚΠ
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 964 Where the coal-measures are horizontal, and the faults run at a greater angle than 45° to the line of bearing, they are termed dip and rise faults.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 968 The true dip-line of the plane which leads to the outcrop.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 974 On the dip side of the gallery.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 992 The subterraneous fire broke forth with two heavy discharges from the dip-pit.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 994 In the dip-mine a double tram-road is laid.
1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 63/2 Galleries driven at right angles to these [sc. the dip head level and lodgment level] are known as ‘dip’ or ‘rise headings’, according to their position above or below the pit bottom.
1879 Encycl. Brit. X. 297/1 A quarry is usually worked to the dip of a rock, hence the strike-joints form clean-cut faces in front of the workmen as they advance. These are known as ‘backs’, and the dip-joints which traverse them as ‘cutters’.
1879 Encycl. Brit. X. 303/1 Dip-faults will often be observed to deviate considerably from the normal direction of dip.
1882 A. Geikie Text-bk. Geol. 502 In general they [sc. joints of stratified rocks] have two dominant trends, one coincident, on the whole, with the direction in which the strata are inclined from the horizon, and the other running transversely at a right angle or nearly so. The former set is known as dip-joints, because they run with the dip or inclination of the rocks.
1887 P. McNeill Blawearie 24 The firm..had turned their whole force of men into the dip-workings, in order to exhaust the coal bordering on the march.
1900 Geogr. Jrnl. 15 220 Its [sc. the Arun's] course was determined by the original dip-slope of the Wealden dome.
1957 Encycl. Brit. IX. 119/1 The dip-slip is the component of the net-slip measured directly down the dip of the fault plane.
1960 L. D. Stamp Britain's Struct. & Scenery (ed. 5) v. 45 Valleys parallel to the dip of the rocks (dip valleys).
1961 J. Challinor Dict. Geol. 61/2 Dip-slope, a slope of the ground which is determined..by the dip of the beds. It is applied particularly to such a slope which ends upwards along the top of an escarpment and which is then opposed to the, usually steeper, scarp slope on the other side.
1965 G. J. Williams Econ. Geol. N.Z. xviii. 309/2 The amount of dip coal is difficult to estimate and it was suggested that ‘the amount of workable dip coal is likely to be somewhat greater than the rise coal’.
1967 Gloss. Mining Terms (B.S.I.) viii. 11 Dip face, a coal face advancing downhill.
1967 Gloss. Mining Terms (B.S.I.) viii. 11 Dip workings, workings lying to the dip of any designated point in a seam.
Compounds
C1. [In some cases it is the verb-stem rather than the noun.]
dip-bucket n. a bucket contrived to turn easily and dip into water.
dip-candle n. a candle made by repeatedly dipping a wick in melted tallow, a dipped candle.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [noun] > made from animal fat > by dipping in tallow
tallow candle1452
dip1815
tallow1819
dip-candle1829
tolly1890
1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer I. ii. 43 On it stood a brass candlestick, with a dip candle.
1864 W. M. Thackeray Denis Duval (1869) vii. 96 The apprentice..came up..from the cellar with a string of dip-candles.
dip-circle n. a dipping-needle having a vertical graduated circle for measuring the amount of the dip.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > bit of magnetized steel as direction indicator > instrument with dipping-needle
inclinatorium1801
dip-circle1876
dip compass1897
1876 C. H. Davis Narr. North Polar Exped. Ship Polaris ix. 218 One of the snow houses was designed for the dip-circle.
1881 J. C. Maxwell Treat. Electr. & Magnetism (ed. 2) II. 116 A new dip-circle, in which the axis of the needle..is slung on two filaments of silk or spider's thread, the ends of the filaments being attached to the arms of a delicate balance.
dip compass n. = dipping-compass at dipping-needle n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > bit of magnetized steel as direction indicator > instrument with dipping-needle
inclinatorium1801
dip-circle1876
dip compass1897
1897 Strand Mag. Mar. 344/2 Its [sc. the Pole's] variable position was approximately determined by Sir James Clark Ross by help of the dip compass.
dip equator n. the magnetic equator (see equator n. 3b).
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the world > the earth > geodetic references > [noun] > latitude > equator > magnetic
aclinic line1850
dip equator1883
1883 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 164/2 The line of no dip is called the magnetic or dip equator.
dip-head n. a heading driven to the dip in a coal-mine in which the beds have a steep inclination; whence dip-head level.
ΚΠ
1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) III. 326 Were the coal-field an entire elliptical basin, the dip-head levels carried from any point would be elliptical.
1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) III. 328 It is, moreover, proper to make the first set of pillars next the dip-head much stronger.
dip-needle n. = dipping-needle n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > bit of magnetized steel as direction indicator
needlea1393
mariner's needle1600
directory needle1613
inclinatory needle1613
dipping-needle1667
dip-needle1881
1881 J. C. Maxwell Treat. Electr. & Magnetism (ed. 2) II. 113 The magnetic dip is found by means of the Dip Needle.
dip-net n. a small net with a long handle, used to catch fish by dipping it in the water.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > net > [noun] > net on pole
pout net1443
sleeching-net1665
stick net1678
scoop-net1792
shoulder net1793
skimming net1806
stoop-net1806
dip-net1858
pole net1858
scoop1865
dipping-net1867
1858 H. D. Thoreau Let. 6 Nov. in Corr. (1958) 525 The villagers catching smelts with dip nets in the twilight.
dip pen n. one that has to be dipped in the ink (opposed to fountain-pen).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > writing materials > writing instrument > [noun] > pen > pen that has to be dipped in ink
dip pen1945
1945 B. Macdonald Egg & I (1947) viii. 96 An ink bottle and a dip pen.
1949 ‘N. Blake’ Head of Traveller xi. 172 ‘What are you looking for?’..‘My dip pen.’ ‘Stylo run out?’
dip-pipe n. a valve in the hydraulic main of gas works, etc., arranged to dip into water or tar, or other liquid, and form a seal; a seal-pipe.
ΚΠ
1874 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. I. 705/2 The seal-cup is charged with tar, which permits the movable dip-pipe to be lifted into or out of the main.
dip regulator n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 260/1 Dip regulator, a device used in gas works for regulating the seal of the dip-pipes in the hydraulic main, and for drawing off the heavy tar from the bottom of the main without disturbing the seal.
dip-rod n. (a) a rod on which candle-wicks are hung to be dipped; (b) =dipstick n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > for measuring level in a container
dipstick1824
sight tube1851
dip-rod1923
1923 Man. Seamanship ii. 201 Care should be taken that the correct amount of oil is in the oil pump at the bottom of the base chamber; an oil cock or dip rod is fitted for this purpose.
1934 Times 13 Feb. 10/4 The diprod, coil, Lockheed fluid tank on the dash..are all handy.
dip-roller n. a form of roller used in printing-works for taking up ink.
ΚΠ
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. (at cited word) Dip-roller (Printing), a roller to dip ink from the fountain.
dip-section n. a section showing the dip of the strata.
ΚΠ
1884 Nature 13 Nov. 33 It is admirably seen in dip-section on the east and north slopes.
dip-sector n. a reflecting instrument on the principle of the sextant, used to ascertain the dip of the horizon: see sector n.
ΚΠ
1833 J. F. W. Herschel Astronomy i. 16 The visible area, as measured by the dip-sector.
1834 Mechanics' Mag. 445.
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. (1856) ix. 67 Minute observations of dip-sectors and repeating-circles.
dip-side n. the side on which the dip or declivity is.
ΚΠ
1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) III. 325 Have on the dip side of the level a small quantity of water..so as to guide the workmen in driving the level.
1892 R. O. Heslop Northumberland Words Dip-side, the low side.
dip-slope n. the surface-slope of ground when parallel to the dip of the strata over which it lies.
ΚΠ
1902 H. J. Mackinder Brit. & Brit. Seas (1907) ix. 121 The original consequent drainage of the dip-slope.
1925 N. E. Odell in E. F. Norton et al. Fight for Everest: 1924 295 This is vividly shown in Somervell's wonderful photograph taken from 28,000 feet, where one is looking down the dip slope of the series.
dip-splint n. a kind of friction match.
dip-switch n. a switch that dips the beams of a vehicle's headlights.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > headlight > switch that operates headlight
dimmer switch1914
dipper1925
dipper switch1935
dip-switch1952
1952 San Francisco Chron. 15 June 13L American: dimmer switch. British: dip switch.
1962 Times 13 Feb. 3/4 The floor buttons for dipswitch and screen-washers are too small.
1967 E. Rudinger Consumer's Car Gloss. (ed. 2) 33 Dipswitch, foot-operated button or hand-operated lever with which the driver changes the headlamps from the main beam to the dipped beam.
dip-trap n. a drain trap formed by a dip or depression of the pipe in which water stands so as to prevent the upward passage of sewer-gas.
ΚΠ
1883 F. de Chaumont Parkes's Man. Pract. Hygiene (ed. 6) i. x. 367 The common mason's or dip-trap..and the notorious D trap.
dip-well n. a well whence water is got by dipping.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > well
water piteOE
wellOE
pitOE
pulkc1300
draw-wellc1410
draught-wellc1440
winchc1440
brine-well1594
salt spring1601
sump1680
pump well1699
spout-well1710
sump hole1754
pit-well1756
sink1804
bucket-well1813
artesian well1829
shallow well1877
dip-well1894
garland-well1897
village pump1925
1894 B. Fowler in Proc. Geologists' Assoc. 1893–4 13 364 This clay throws out two fine springs, forming dip-wells, in Hammer village.
C2. In various attributive uses of sense 5.
ΚΠ
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining Dip Split, a current of intake air directed into or down a dip or deep district of a mine.
Draft additions 1993
A decline in the value or magnitude of share prices, profits, etc.; esp. a slight fall.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > [noun] > prices of stocks and shares > fall or tendency to fall
downdraught1852
decline1885
dip1892
depreciation1900
downside1905
retreat1916
downside potential1938
1892 Courier-Jrnl. (Louisville, Kentucky) 1 Oct. 11/5 There was a disposition among a few houses to buy for a reaction after an early dip to-day.
1929 Daily Express 7 Nov. 1/4 Traders were ignorant in many instances of what the prevailing prices were, because of the rapid dips downward.
1958 Economist 6 Dec. 866/2 The white paper pins its hopes to the ‘dip’ years in the early sixties, when the present bulge has passed, and before numbers begin to rise again.
1986 Daily Tel. 28 Feb. 19 (heading) Booming market unruffled by ICI £122m profit dip.
Draft additions September 2008
North American colloquial (originally U.S. regional). A dose of a powdered or cut tobacco preparation taken orally. In later use also (as a mass noun): tobacco in this form.Originally referring to a dry form of powdered tobacco (cf. to dip snuff at dip v. 5a), but now typically denoting a moistened preparation taken by placing a dose between the upper or lower lip and gum.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > [noun] > cuttings of tobacco
short1840
dip1853
the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > snuff > [noun]
sneeze1632
sneezing1648
smutchin1650
snush1671
snuff1683
nose gunpowder1706
pulvil1706
sneeshing1714
macouba1827
dip1853
snoose1912
snous1962
1853 Putnam's Monthly Mag. 1 142 She..will hear ladies inviting ladies to ‘come over and take a dip’.
1921 Atlanta Constit. 3 Feb. 3/6 Alice..refused yesterday to give a ‘dip’ of snuff to Lilly May.
1966 Jrnl. Amer. Folklore 79 594 In the Ozarks, ‘dip’ sometimes means not merely the powdered tobacco but a mixture of snuff and molasses.
1988 Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) (Nexis) 28 Aug. f15 He began using ‘dip’ or ‘snuff’, a form of smokeless tobacco that users tuck between their cheek and gum... ‘I put a dip in my mouth, and five minutes later I started having cold sweats.’
2003 D. Lipsky Absolutely Amer. i. 5 Forty minutes with a mouthful of dip, and something told him not to spit.
Draft additions September 2008
North American. A portion of ice cream formed with a scoop; a scoop of ice cream. Cf. double dip n. 1.
ΚΠ
1913 Trenton (New Jersey) Evening Times 11 June A generous dip of vanilla ice cream..topped with a luscious cherry makes our..10¢ Nabisco Sundae.
1947 Los Angeles Times 17 Mar. i. 6/2 Drop down to the corner drugstore for a chocolate malted with two dips of ice cream.
1982 J. S. Coleman Asymmetric Society i. 4 [He] asked for a vanilla ice cream cone with two dips.
2006 Nation's Restaurant News 24 July 16/3 It's..hard to order just one dip of ice cream in a restaurant, and that second scoop has another 300 calories.
Draft additions September 2008
Originally U.S. A strength-training exercise performed while grasping parallel bars or a similar apparatus with the body raised off the ground in vertical position and the arms extending downwards, in which the arms are bent to lower the body slightly, and then straightened to push back to the original position.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > gymnastics > exercise > [noun] > specific exercises
breathing1605
breather1802
arm swing1859
setting-up drill1862
grasshopper march1884
lunge1889
push-up1897
sit-up1900
pull-up1901
deep-breathing1904
bag-punching1927
press-up1928
setting-up exercise1935
pullover1936
bear crawl1937
burpee1939
knee-bend1941
leg raise1944
dip1945
uddiyana1949
squat thrust1950
lateral1954
pull-down1956
aquacise1968
step-up1973
abdominal crunch1981
power walking1982
crunch1983
gut-buster1983
stomach crunch1986
1945 Monogr. Soc. Res. Child Devel. 10 12 Events which use the same flexor or extensor muscles of the arms, as in Dips on the Parallel Bars.
1980 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 5 Jan. The program..includes pushups, situps, dips, chest-raises.
2002 Guardian 2 Nov. (Weekend Suppl.) 55/1 He trains for two and a half hours a day—pull-ups, dips, crunches, martial arts, swordplay.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
Dipn.2
/dɪp/, U.S. /dɪp/ colloquial.
= diploma n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > educational administration > university administration > taking degree or graduation > [noun] > diploma
diplomaa1658
sheepskin1843
Dip1895
1895 W. C. Gore in Inlander Nov. 64 Dip, diploma.
1971 ‘P. Hobson’ Three Graces i. 9 I can do my engineering dip. at the Tech.
Derivatives
Dip. AD n. Diploma in Art and Design.
ΚΠ
1963 Times 11 May 9/4 Only four of the 29 colleges awarded DipAD recognition will be allowed to offer diploma courses in all four areas of art and design.
1969 T. Nairn & J. Singh-Sandhu in A. Cockburn & R. Blackburn Student Power 104 The problems of art education in this country centre around the enigmatic initials ‘Dip. AD’. This stands for the degree now conferred by authority after four years' attendance at our leading colleges of art: the Diploma in Art and Design.
Dip. Ed n. Diploma in Education.
ΚΠ
1967 M. Drabble Jerusalem the Golden v. 96 I would be stealing the state's money, wouldn't I? By doing a Dip Ed without meaning to teach?
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
dipn.3
/dɪp/, U.S. /dɪp/ U.S. slang.
A stupid, unremarkable, or contemptible person.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun]
asseOE
sotc1000
beastc1225
long-ear?a1300
stock1303
buzzard1377
mis-feelinga1382
dasarta1400
stonea1400
dasiberd14..
dottlec1400
doddypoll1401
dastardc1440
dotterel1440
dullardc1440
wantwit1449
jobardc1475
nollc1475
assheada1500
mulea1500
dull-pate15..
peak1509
dulbert?a1513
doddy-patec1525
noddypolla1529
hammer-head1532
dull-head?1534
capon1542
dolt1543
blockhead1549
cod's head1549
mome1550
grout-head1551
gander1553
skit-brains?1553
blocka1556
calfa1556
tomfool1565
dunce1567
druggard1569
cobble1570
dummel1570
Essex calf1573
jolthead1573
hardhead1576
beetle-head1577
dor-head1577
groutnoll1578
grosshead1580
thickskin1582
noddyship?1589
jobbernowl1592
beetle-brain1593
Dorbel1593
oatmeal-groat1594
loggerhead1595
block-pate1598
cittern-head1598
noddypoop1598
dorbellist1599
numps1599
dor1601
stump1602
ram-head1605
look-like-a-goose1606
ruff1606
clod1607
turf1607
asinego1609
clot-poll1609
doddiea1611
druggle1611
duncecomb1612
ox-head1613
clod-polla1616
dulman1615
jolterhead1620
bullhead1624
dunderwhelpa1625
dunderhead1630
macaroona1631
clod-patea1635
clota1637
dildo1638
clot-pate1640
stupid1640
clod-head1644
stub1644
simpletonian1652
bottle-head1654
Bœotiana1657
vappe1657
lackwit1668
cudden1673
plant-animal1673
dolt-head1679
cabbage head1682
put1688
a piece of wood1691
ouphe1694
dunderpate1697
numbskull1697
leather-head1699
nocky1699
Tom Cony1699
mopus1700
bluff-head1703
clod skull1707
dunny1709
dowf1722
stupe1722
gamphrel1729
gobbin?1746
duncehead1749
half-wit1755
thick-skull1755
jackass1756
woollen-head1756
numbhead1757
beef-head1775
granny1776
stupid-head1792
stunpolla1794
timber-head1794
wether heada1796
dummy1796
noghead1800
staumrel1802
muttonhead1803
num1807
dummkopf1809
tumphya1813
cod's head and shoulders1820
stoopid1823
thick-head1824
gype1825
stob1825
stookiea1828
woodenhead1831
ning-nong1832
log-head1834
fat-head1835
dunderheadism1836
turnip1837
mudhead1838
donkey1840
stupex1843
cabbage1844
morepork1845
lubber-head1847
slowpoke1847
stupiditarian1850
pudding-head1851
cod's head and shoulders1852
putty head1853
moke1855
mullet-head1855
pothead1855
mug1857
thick1857
boodle1862
meathead1863
missing link1863
half-baked1866
lunk1867
turnip-head1869
rummy1872
pumpkin-head1876
tattie1879
chump1883
dully1883
cretin1884
lunkhead1884
mopstick1886
dumbhead1887
peanut head1891
pie-face1891
doughbakea1895
butt-head1896
pinhead1896
cheesehead1900
nyamps1900
box head1902
bonehead1903
chickenhead1903
thickwit1904
cluck1906
boob1907
John1908
mooch1910
nitwit1910
dikkop1913
goop1914
goofus1916
rumdum1916
bone dome1917
moron1917
oik1917
jabroni1919
dumb-bell1920
knob1920
goon1921
dimwit1922
ivory dome1923
stone jug1923
dingleberry1924
gimp1924
bird brain1926
jughead1926
cloth-head1927
dumb1928
gazook1928
mouldwarp1928
ding-dong1929
stupido1929
mook1930
sparrow-brain1930
knobhead1931
dip1932
drip1932
epsilon1932
bohunkus1933
Nimrod1933
dumbass1934
zombie1936
pea-brain1938
knot-head1940
schlump1941
jarhead1942
Joe Soap1943
knuckle-head1944
nong1944
lame-brain1945
gobshite1946
rock-head1947
potato head1948
jerko1949
turkey1951
momo1953
poop-head1955
a right one1958
bam1959
nong-nong1959
dickhead1960
dumbo1960
Herbert1960
lamer1961
bampot1962
dipshit1963
bamstick1965
doofus1965
dick1966
pillock1967
zipperhead1967
dipstick1968
thickie1968
poephol1969
yo-yo1970
doof1971
cockhead1972
nully1973
thicko1976
wazzock1976
motorhead1979
mouth-breather1979
no-brainer1979
jerkwad1980
woodentop1981
dickwad1983
dough ball1983
dickweed1984
bawheid1985
numpty1985
jerkweed1988
dick-sucker1989
knob-end1989
Muppet1989
dingus1997
dicksack1999
eight ball-
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > condition of being held in contempt > [noun] > state or quality of being contemptible > contemptible person
wormc825
wretchOE
thingOE
hinderlingc1175
harlot?c1225
mixa1300
villain1303
whelpc1330
wonnera1340
bismera1400
vilec1400
beasta1425
creaturec1450
dog bolt1465
fouling?a1475
drivel1478
shit1508
marmoset1523
mammeta1529
pilgarlica1529
pode1528
slave1537
slim1548
skit-brains?1553
grasshopper1556
scavenger1563
old boss1566
rag1566
shrub1566
ketterela1572
shake-rag1571
skybala1572
mumpsimus1573
smatchetc1582
squib1586
scabship1589
vassal1589
baboon1592
Gibraltar1593
polecat1593
mushroom1594
nodc1595
cittern-head1598
nit1598
stockfish1598
cum-twang1599
dish-wash1599
pettitoe1599
mustard-token1600
viliaco1600
cargo1602
stump1602
snotty-nose1604
sprat1605
wormling1605
brock1607
dogfly?1611
shag-rag1611
shack-rag1612
thrum1612
rabbita1616
fitchock1616
unworthy1616
baseling1618
shag1620
glow-worm1624
snip1633
the son of a worm1633
grousea1637
shab1637
wormship1648
muckworm1649
whiffler1659
prig1679
rotten egg1686
prigster1688
begged fool1693
hang-dog1693
bugger1694
reptile1697
squinny1716
snool1718
ramscallion1734
footer1748
jackass1756
hallion1789
skite1790
rattlesnake1791
snot1809
mudworm1814
skunk1816
stirrah1816
spalpeen1817
nyaff1825
skin1825
weed1825
tiger1827
beggar1834
despicability1837
squirt1844
prawn1845
shake1846
white mouse1846
scurf1851
sweep1853
cockroach1856
bummer1857
medlar1859
cunt1860
shuck1862
missing link1863
schweinhund1871
creepa1876
bum1882
trashbag1886
tinhorn1887
snot-rag1888
rodent1889
whelpling1889
pie eatera1891
mess1891
schmuck1892
fucker1893
cheapskate1894
cocksucker1894
gutter-bird1896
perisher1896
skate1896
schmendrick1897
nyamps1900
ullage1901
fink1903
onion1904
punk1904
shitepoke1905
tinhorn sport1906
streeler1907
zob1911
stink1916
motherfucker1918
Oscar1918
shitass1918
shit-face1923
tripe-hound1923
gimp1924
garbage can1925
twerp1925
jughead1926
mong1926
fuck?1927
arsehole1928
dirty dog1928
gazook1928
muzzler1928
roach1929
shite1929
mook1930
lug1931
slug1931
woodchuck1931
crud1932
dip1932
bohunkus1933
lint-head1933
Nimrod1933
warb1933
fuck-piga1935
owl-hoot1934
pissant1935
poot1935
shmegegge1937
motheree1938
motorcycle1938
squiff1939
pendejo1940
snotnose1941
jerkface1942
slag1943
yuck1943
fuckface?1945
fuckhead?1945
shit-head1945
shite-hawk1948
schlub1950
asswipe1953
mother1955
weenie1956
hard-on1958
rass hole1959
schmucko1959
bitch ass1961
effer1961
lamer1961
arsewipe1962
asshole1962
butthole1962
cock1962
dipshit1963
motherfuck1964
dork1965
bumhole1967
mofo1967
tosspot1967
crudball1968
dipstick1968
douche1968
frickface1968
schlong1968
fuckwit1969
rassclaat1969
ass1970
wank1970
fecker1971
wanker1971
butt-fucker1972
slimeball1972
bloodclaat1973
fuckwad1974
mutha1974
suck1974
cocksuck1977
tosser1977
plank1981
sleazebag1981
spastic1981
dweeb1982
bumboclaat1983
dickwad1983
scuzzbag1983
sleazeball1983
butt-face1984
dickweed1984
saddie1985
butt plug1986
jerkweed1988
dick-sucker1989
microcephalic1989
wankstain1990
sadster1992
buttmunch1993
fanny1995
jackhole1996
fassyhole1997
fannybaws2000
fassy2002
1932 Amer. Speech 7 401 Dip, a person who lacks good sense.
1939 B. Appel Power-house 330 You're dippy. Only a dip'd chase out to Slagtown.
1972 G. Lucas et al. Amer. Graffiti (film script) 10 He didn't dump on me you little dip.
1987 N. Spinrad Little Heroes (1989) 77 There were few distractions in Poughkeepsie. The girls were all airheads, and the boys were dips.
1999 S. Turow Personal Injuries 293 I just wish she wasn't such a dip. I mean, I like Betty. Not a mean bone in her body.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
dipv.
/dɪp/, U.S. /dɪp/ I. Transitive senses.absolute.a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) iii. ii. 67 Who can call him his Friend That dips in the same dish? View more context for this quotation1878 R. Browning Two Poets of Croisic in La Saisiaz & Two Poets of Croisic 83 Up with quill, Dip and indite!figurative.1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (1586) ii. 67 For you dip somewhat the Pensill of your Tongue in the fresh and cleere coulour of the Tuscane tongue.1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iv. vii. 19 The great loue the generall gender beare him, Who dipping all his faults in theyr affection,..Conuert his Giues to graces.1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna ix. xii. 199 By..the name Of thee, and many a tongue which thou hadst dipped in flame.
1. To put down or let down temporarily or partially in or into a liquid, or the like, or the vessel containing it (usually with the notion of wetting, or of taking up a portion of the liquid, etc.); to immerse; to plunge (but with less implication of force and splashing, the sound of the word expressing a light though decided act).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > action or process of immersing or dipping > immerse or dip [verb (transitive)]
bebatheOE
dipc1000
plungec1380
wash1398
bathec1400
embathe1593
taint1594
immerse1685
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > dip or plunge into liquid
depec950
bedipc1000
dipc1000
dibc1325
indip1596
demergec1610
immerse1613
ensteepa1616
immerge1617
merge1660
demerse1662
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Mark (Corpus Cambr.) xiv. 20 Se ðe his hand on disce mid me dypð.
c1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 118 Nim þanne hnesce wulle and dupe on ele.
1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 8044 A vesselle dypped alle bidene In water, or in other lycour thyn.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke xvi. 24 Fadir Abraham..send Lazarus, that he dippe the laste part of his fyngur in watir, and kele my tunge.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) John xiii. 26 It is he vnto whom I dyppe the soppe & geue it. And he dypte in the soppe and gaue it vnto Iudas Iscarioth.
1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxvii. 102 The Germains..vsed then to dippe their new borne children into extreme cold water.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iv. vii. 115 But dippe a knife in it. View more context for this quotation
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iii. xxxvi. 224 Clothed in a garment dipt in bloud.
1742 A. Pope New Dunciad 157 A Poet the first day, he dips his quill.
1801 Med. Jrnl. 21 82 A piece of loaf bread, dipt in cold water.
1823 C. Lamb New Year's Eve in Elia He dipt his fist into the middle of the great custard.
1839 G. Bird Elements Nat. Philos. 144 If a magnet be dipped in iron filings, it will attract, and cause them to adhere to its surface.
2. To immerse in baptism; to baptize by immersion (now usually contemptuous). In quot. 1602 = christen v. 3. Also absol.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > sacrament > baptism > baptize [verb (transitive)]
fulloweOE
ChristeOE
dipc975
fulghtOE
fulghtenlOE
baptize1297
washa1300
christen1340
underfo1362
superfuse1657
society > faith > worship > sacrament > baptism > kinds of baptism > by immersion > perform immersion [verb (transitive)]
depec960
dipc975
plungec1380
c975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. iii. 11 Ic eowic depu & dyppe in wættre in hreunisse.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 1551 Þurrh þatt tatt tu fullhtnesst hemm. & unnderr waterr dippesst.
c1315 Shoreham 11 And wanne hi cristneth ine the founȝt The prestes so thries duppeth, In the honur of the Trinite.
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) iii. 10 Þai make bot ane vnccioun, when þai cristen childer, ne dippes þaim but anes in þe fount.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Publyke Baptisme f. iiii* Then the prieste shall take the childe..and..shall dyppe it in the water.
1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida i. sig. C It pleas'd the Font to dip me Rossaline.
1639 J. Saltmarsh Pract. Policie 73 These whom wee would have members of a Visible Church, we baptize and dip.
1766 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) III. 248 He and six-and-twenty more have been dipped!
1876 G. Bancroft Hist. U.S. (rev. ed.) II. xxx. 262 The confessions..began to be directed against the Anabaptists. Mary Osgood was dipped by the devil.
3. In various technical processes: see also dipping n. i. spec.
a. To immerse in a colouring solution; to dye, imbue. Also with the colouring matter as subject, or with the resulting colour as object. poetic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > colouring > dyeing > dye [verb (transitive)]
dyea1000
bedyea1522
intinct1547
imbue1594
double-dye1602
woad1642
dip1667
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 283 Six wings he [sc. a seraph] wore..the middle pair..round Skirted his loines and thighes with downie Gold And colours dipt in Heav'n. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 244 Iris had dipt the wooff. View more context for this quotation
1714 A. Pope Rape of Lock (new ed.) ii. 14 Thin glitt'ring Textures of the filmy Dew, Dipt in the richest Tincture of the Skies.
1780 W. Cowper Table Talk 703 Fancy that from the bow that spans the sky Brings colours dipped in Heaven.
1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid v, in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 226 Raiment dipped in the purple.
b. To make (a candle) by repeatedly dipping a wick in melted tallow.
ΚΠ
1712 Act 10 Anne in London Gaz. No. 5031/6 Before he begins to make or dip any Making or Course of Candles.
c1865 H. Letheby in J. Wylde Circle of Sci. I. 93/2 To dip a number of candles at the same time.
c. to dip sheep: To bath them in a poisonous liquor for the purpose of killing the vermin and cleansing the skin.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > rear sheep or wool [verb (transitive)] > dip
river1531
to dip sheep1840
crutch1886
1840 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 1 324 A person who travels from farm to farm dipping sheep for the ticks.
1847 Trans. Highl. & Agric. Soc. Scot. 3rd Ser. II. 300 Three men to dip and a boy to drive water, can easily bathe 600 to 800 sheep in a day.
1853 Catal. Royal Agric. Soc. Show 1 Such is the importance..of dipping with this composition, that no extensive flock-master ought to be without it.
4. † b. figurative. Applied to the use of the liquor in which a toast is drunk. Obsolete.
a. To suffuse with moisture; to impregnate by, or as if by, immersion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > make wet [verb (transitive)] > cover or suffuse
bewater1593
dip1637
1637 J. Milton Comus 27 A cold shuddring dew Dips me all o' e.
1678 J. Dryden All for Love ii. 21 These poyson'd gifts..Miriads of blewest Plagues lye underneath 'em, And more than Aconite has dipt the Silk.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [verb (transitive)] > drink intoxicating liquor > pledge or toast
to drink to1530
pledge1546
brince?1567
brinks1568
carouse1583
dipa1657
toast1700
respect1708
bumper?1764
to look toward ——1833
propine1887
skol1935
ganbei1976
a1657 R. Loveday Lett. (1663) 36 We dip'd some choice healths..in the best Laurentian Liquor.
a1657 R. Loveday Lett. (1663) 95 Diping your health in the noblest liquor.
c. To penetrate, as by dipping; to dip into. rare.
ΚΠ
1842 Ld. Tennyson Morte d'Arthur in Poems (new ed.) II. 10 But ere he dipt the surface, rose an arm..And caught him [sc. Excalibur the sword] by the hilt.
5.
a. To obtain or take up by dipping; to lift out of a body of liquid, etc.: usually with up. to dip snuff (southern U.S.): to take snuff by dipping a split or brush-like stick or bit of rattan into it and rubbing it upon the teeth and gums. Also absol.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > raising > make to go up or cause to rise [verb (transitive)] > lift or take up > out of a body of liquid
cleachc1320
dip1602
clitch1632
1602 R. Carew Surv. Cornwall i. f. 30v The Shrimps are dipped vp in shallow water by the shore side, with little round nets.
1824 M. R. Mitford Our Village I. 211 There she stands at the spring, dipping up water for to-morrow.
1848–60 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms To dip snuff, a mode of taking tobacco.
1849 Knickerbocker 34 117 The ‘gude woman’ sat in the corner ‘rubbing snuff’, or ‘dipping’.
1861 L. L. Noble After Icebergs 272 Fresh water may be dipped in winter, from small open spaces in the bay.
1864 J. T. Trowbridge Cudjo's Cave xxxiv. 332 For this excellent woman snuffed, ‘dipped’ and smoked.
1886 Cent. Mag. Feb. 586 Sam Upchurch smoked his pipe, and Peggy dipped snuff, but Dyer declined joining them in using tobacco.
1913 M. W. Morley Carolina Mts. 169 Nor is snuff taken after the manner of former generations of snuff-takers. Here the people ‘dip’.
b. intransitive or absol. To pick pockets. Also transitive. slang.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > picking pockets > pick pockets [verb (intransitive)]
figc1555
nip1592
dive1699
file1699
pickpocket1822
wire1853
dip1857
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > picking pockets > pick pockets [verb (transitive)]
reef1902
dip1925
1817 Sporting Mag. (Farmer) I have dipped into 150..pockets and not found a shilling.]
1857 ‘Ducange Anglicus’ Vulgar Tongue 6 Dip, to pick pockets.
1925 Brit. Weekly 12 Mar. 573/2 If you don't want to get ‘dipped’ [i.e., have your pocket picked], buy..small nuts and put them in your pocket with your cash. There isn't one of the boys can dip you then.
1929 Detective Fiction Weekly 2 Mar. 696/1 The first fourteen years I dipped I got grabbed eleven times.
1930 E. Wallace White Face vii. 89 You went over and you dipped him for his clock and pack.
1967 Listener 14 Sept. 325/3 Somebody is..going to dip his back pocket.
6. transferred.
a. To lower or let down for an instant, as if dipping in a liquid; spec. to lower and then raise (a flag) as a naval salute, or (a sail) in tacking.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > lower or let down > momentarily
dip1776
1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 43/2 He dipt his seal on the cushion [ink-pad], and sealed the bond.
1859 C. Reade Love me Little II. iv. 174 ‘They have not got to dip their sail, as we have, every time we tack’..‘I and the boy will dip the lug’..Now this operation is always a nice one, particularly in these small luggers, where the lug has to be dipped, that is to say, lowered and raised again on the opposite side of the mast.
1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 148 The men who dip the sail should stand on the lee side.
1894 C. N. Robinson Brit. Fleet 179 To-day, ‘dipping the flag’ is an act of courtesy; men-of-war do not do it to one another, but if merchant ships ‘dip’ their ensigns to them they reply in a similar manner.
b. To cause to sink; to lower, depress.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)]
besench971
avalec1314
sinka1325
lighta1400
to get downa1450
abasec1450
descenda1475
base1489
fall1595
slopea1616
dimit1628
demit1646
send1657
down1852
dip1879
1879 ‘G. Eliot’ College Breakfast Party in Macmillan's Mag. July 170 Duty or social Good..Would dip the scale.
c. Forestry. (See quot. 1877.)
ΚΠ
1877 T. Kelly in N.Z. Country Jrnl. I. 244 On the side the tree will most easily fall [the experienced bushman] dips it—that is, he cuts in a deep notch from the circumference towards the centre.
d. To lower (the beams of the headlights of a vehicle). Also absol.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [verb (transitive)] > type of headlamp > lower beam
dip1909
1909 R. Kipling Actions & Reactions 117 ‘No. 162’ lifts to a long-drawn wail of a breeze..and we make Valencia..at a safe 7000 feet, dipping our beam to an incoming Washington packet.
1922 Motor 31 Oct. Suppl. p. xxxiv (advt.) The A-L Anti-Dazzle Focus Headlight Attachment... No ‘dipping’. No ‘dimming’.
1928 ‘Motor’ Manual (ed. 27) xi. 152 The type of headlamp which is so arranged that the beam can be dipped, swivelled, or both, at the will of the driver.
1936 Discovery Oct. 302/1 One effect of this beneficent discovery will be to render unnecessary the regulations for dipping and extinguishing headlights.
1959 ‘Motor’ Manual (ed. 36) viii. 218 Do not engage in headlight battles. Always dip when another vehicle approaches.
1965 R. Priestley & T. H. Wisdom Good Driving ii. 20 A dipper switch..enables you to dip the beam.
1969 ‘G. Black’ Cold Jungle x. 142 Headlights came at us. Rob dipped.
7. figurative.
a. To immerse, involve, implicate (in any affair, esp. of an undesirable kind). Chiefly in passive. (Cf. deep adj. 22) Obsolete except as in 7b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > occupy or engage (a person) [verb (transitive)] > have to do with or be involved in or with > involve in something
lapa1340
implyc1374
engage1593
dipa1627
concern1675
involve1704
implicate1798
intrigue1899
a1627 T. Middleton & W. Rowley Changeling (1653) iii. sig. F A woman dipt in blood, and talk of modesty.
1671–3 Sir C. Lyttelton in E. M. Thompson Corr. Family of Hatton (1878) I. 74 Sr Steph. Fox is dipt 70,000li deepe in that concerne.
1680 J. Dryden Kind Keeper Prol. sig. I6 True Wit has seen its best days long ago, It ne're look'd up, since we were dipt in Show.
1700 J. Dryden Fables Pref. sig. *B2v He was a little dipt in the Rebellion of the Commons.
1775 E. Burke Corr. (1844) II. 50 Then we shall be thoroughly dipped, and then there will be no way of getting out, but by disgracing England, or enslaving America.
1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 139 He was a man deeply dipped in judicial astrology.
1798 H. Walpole Lett. (1857) I. Remin. iii. p. cix Having been deeply dipped in the iniquities of the South Sea.
b. To involve in debt or pecuniary liabilities; to mortgage (an estate); to pawn. (colloquial.)
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > financial dealings > borrowing money > borrow money [verb (transitive)] > pawn
to give (also have, lay, put, take) to pledgec1384
to set, put, lay to or in wedc1384
engage1525
pawn1570
to lay (up) in lavender1584
impawn1598
oppignorate1622
pignorate1623
dip1640
to put to lumber1671
vamp1699
pop1731
sweatc1800
spout1811
lumber1819
up the spout1819
hock1878
soak1882
to put away1887
society > trade and finance > management of money > insolvency > indebtedness > owe [verb (transitive)] > involve (person) in debt
indebt1586
engage1600
dip1817
1640 H. Glapthorne Wit in Constable v. sig. Hivv If you scorne to borrow, you may dip Your chaine.
1693 J. Dryden tr. Persius Satires vi. 83 Never dip thy Lands.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Layd-up,..Cloaths..are pawn'd or dipt for..Money.
1817 M. Edgeworth Harrington & Ormond I. xii. 294 My little Jessica has..played away at a rare rate with my ready money—dipped me confoundedly.
1880 M. E. Braddon Just as I Am ii Nobody had ever been able to say that the Courtenay estate was ‘dipped’.
1883 M. E. Braddon Phantom Fortune (1884) xxxv. 299 The young lady was slightly dipped.
II. Intransitive senses (some for reflexive; others absol. uses).
8. To plunge down a little into water or other liquid and quickly emerge. Const. in, into, under.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > action or process of immersing or dipping > immerse or dip [verb (intransitive)]
bathec1200
washa1382
dipa1387
bask1393
swelter1595
laver1607
dap1886
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 119 A lantern wiþ lyȝt fleteþ and swymmeth aboue, and ȝif þe liȝt is iqueynt, it duppeþ doun and dryncheþ.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 65 I was fain to dip for it into the Water.
1819 W. Irving Sketch Bk. i. 19 Her yards would dip into the water; her bow was almost buried beneath the waves.
1842 T. B. Macaulay Horatius in Lays Anc. Rome 50 Unharmed the water fowl may dip In the Volsinian mere.
1865 A. C. Swinburne Atalanta in Calydon 16 Oars Break, and the beaks dip under, drinking death.
1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan i. i. 239 Slowly the muffled oars dip in the tide.
9.
a. To plunge one's hand (or a ladle or the like) into water, etc., or into a vessel, esp. for the purpose of taking something out.
ΚΠ
1693 J. Dryden tr. Persius Satires ii. 22 Suppose I dip'd among the worst, and Staius chose?
b. slang. To pick pockets.
ΚΠ
1817 Sporting Mag. (Farmer) I have dipped into 150..pockets and not found a shilling.
c. to dip (deeply, etc.) into one's purse, means, etc.: (figurative) to withdraw or expend a considerable sum, to trench upon means.
ΚΠ
1825 M. M. Sherwood Lady of Manor (ed. 2) II. viii. 31 In early life he had dipped so deeply into his property, as obliged him to leave the country.
1884 Christian World 19 June 453/2 As new schools are built, Mr. Mundella must dip more deeply into the national purse.
10. To fish by letting the bait dip and bob lightly on the water; = dap v. 1, dib v.2 3, dibble v.2 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > type or method of fishing > [verb (intransitive)] > fish using bait > let bait bob
dap1653
dop1653
dab1676
dibble1676
dib1681
dip1799
1799 tr. Laboratory (ed. 6) II. x. 272 The few which you may..take, by dipping or dapping, will scarcely be eatable.
1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) i. v. vi. §3. 348 The tackle for dipping is much more simple than that employed in whipping.
11. transferred.
a. To sink or drop down through a small space, or below a particular level, as if dipping into water; to go down, sink, set.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)]
styc825
astyc975
alightOE
to fall adownOE
hieldc1275
downcomea1300
sink?a1300
avalec1374
to go downa1375
to come downc1380
dipc1390
descenda1393
clinea1400
declinea1400
downc1400
inclinec1400
vailc1400
fallc1440
devall1477
condescendc1485
to get down1567
lower1575
dismount1579
to fall down1632
down?1701
demount1837
c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 534 He mette a gome on an hors..He hente vp his hachet and huttes him euene..wiþ þe deþ in his hals downward he duppes.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 312 Use the North Starre of the Ancients, till..that Guide dippeth under the Horizon.
1721 Coll. Polit. Lett. London Jrnl. 1720 58 Before he had told it all, the Sun dipt in.
1782 W. Cowper Hope in Poems 160 Suppose the beam should dip on the wrong side.
1817 S. T. Coleridge Anc. Mariner (rev. ed.) iii, in Sibylline Leaves 15 The Sun's rim dips; the stars rush out.
1850 E. K. Kane Jrnl. 17 June in U.S. Grinnell Exped. (1853) iv. 31 To-day the sun sets after ten,..and during the bright twilight interval he will dip but a few degrees below the horizon.
1884 W. Black Judith Shakespeare ix The swallows dipping and darting under the boughs.
b. To move the body downwards in obeisance; to drop a curtsy; to ‘bob’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > respect or show respect [verb (intransitive)] > bow, kneel, or curtsey
loutc825
abowOE
bowa1000
kneel?a1000
kneec1000
crookc1320
to bow the knee1382
inclinec1390
crouchc1394
croukc1394
coucha1500
plya1500
to make or do courtesy1508
beck1535
to make a (long, low, etc.) leg1548
curtsya1556
dopc1557
binge1562
jouk1567
beckon1578
benda1586
humblea1592
vaila1593
to scrape a leg1602
congee1606
to give the stoop1623
leg1628
scrape1645
to drop a curtsy1694
salaam1698
boba1794
dip1818
to make (also perform) a cheese1834
1818 Ld. Byron Beppo lxii. 32 To some she curtsies, and to some she dips.
c. To extend a little way downwards or below a surface (without motion); to sink.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > specific directions > have specific directions [verb (intransitive)] > have downward direction > extend downwards
falleOE
descendc1400
to grow down?1523
dip1854
slope1877
1854 E. Ronalds & T. Richardson Knapp's Chem. Technol. (ed. 2) I. 292 The short pipes v are consequently allowed to project about that much above the level of the plate, while their lower extremities dip into shallow cups which remain filled with liquid.
1878 L. P. Meredith Teeth (ed. 2) 68 Superficial decay [of the tooth] is confined to the enamel covering, or dips but slightly into the dentine.
1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid iii, in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 173 Two turreted precipice blocks Dip, like walls, to the wave.
12. To have a downward inclination; to incline or slope downwards; to be inclined to the horizon: spec. of the magnetic needle, and in Geology of strata (see dip n.1 4, 5a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > inclination > incline or be oblique [verb (intransitive)] > slope > downwards
descendc1400
declinec1420
fall1573
cope1601
devall1632
dip1665
drip1678
siddle1894
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 172 The plain of it lies almost horizontal, but onely the forepart does dip a little, or is somewhat more deprest.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Dipping-Needle A Magnetical Needle, so hung, as that..one End dips, or inclines to the Horizon.
1747 W. Hooson Miners Dict. sig. Giij Dipp is when the Flat-Beds lies not Levell, but declines some way, and it is by them that we know when the Rock Dipps, unless we be on the Top of it.
1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) IV. 251 [Fungi]..Pileus convex..edge dipping down, 1½to 2 inches over.
1803 Gazetteer Scotl. at Callander The strata are in some instances perpendicular to the horizon, and in all dip very much.
1820 W. Scoresby Acct. Arctic Regions II. 539 In this hemisphere, the north end of the needle dips, but the contrary in the southern hemisphere, where the south end of the needle dips.
1879 ‘E. Garrett’ House by Wks. I. 140 You have no idea how the road dips.
13. To go (more or less) deeply into a subject.
ΚΠ
1755 E. Young Centaur ii, in Wks. (1757) IV. 134 But I shall not dip so deep in its consequences.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Locksley Hall in Poems (new ed.) II. 93 Here about the beach I wander'd,..When I dipt into the future far as human eye could see.
14. to dip into (a book, a subject of study): to enter slightly and briefly into a subject, without becoming absorbed or ‘buried’ in it; said especially of reading short passages here and there in a book, without continuous perusal.Cf. skim v., to read superficially and slightly but continuously.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > reading > [verb (transitive)] > skim or browse or skip
skip1526
launch1570
to run over1577
rufflea1631
leaf1663
to run through1670
to dip into1682
skim1739
thumb-read1825
browse1903
thumb1930
riffle1938
riff1942
skim-read1954
skip-read1977
society > education > learning > study > [verb (transitive)] > study superficially
skima1586
scum1625
to dip into1682
smatter1883
1682 J. Dryden Religio Laici Pref. sig. b2 They cannot dip into the Bible, but one Text or another will turn up for their purpose.
1686 J. Goad Astro-meteorologica ii. i. 123 You cannot dip into a Diary but you will find it.
1760 T. Gray Let. 23 Jan. (1971) II. 655 I have not attentively read him, but only dip'd here & there.
1777 W. Dalrymple Trav. Spain & Portugal Pref. 4 I have endeavoured to dip a little into the state of government.
1794 R. J. Sulivan View of Nature II. xliv. 275 Might not Moses have dipped..in the same source with the authors of the Shaasta?
1877 A. B. Edwards Thousand Miles up Nile iv. 96 We have of course been dipping into Herodotus.
Draft additions 1993
b. Of share prices, profits, etc.: to fall in value or size, esp. slightly.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > deal in stocks and shares [verb (intransitive)] > state of market or prices > fall or rise (of prices)
to look downwards1796
to look downward1801
to look down1808
rally1826
sag1870
give way1883
slump1888
firm1896
move1904
spurt1931
perform1933
dip1956
to pull back1966
to go in the tank1974
1956 Time 1 Oct. 78/2 Consumer prices dipped .02% last month.
1981 Times 4 Apr. 19/2 (headline) Sterling dips by 2½ cents.
1984 Broadcast 7 Dec. 31/1 This week's figures..show..its audience share dipping to just under 41%.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.31932v.c975