dice
/dʌɪs
/- She threw the dice, and got two fives and one four.
- You rolled the dice and gambled - what have you got to lose?
- When, after political struggles and a decision to divide the kingdom, Yudhihira lays claim to universal kingship, Duryodhana challenges him to a game of dice.
- Another origin dates from the time of the Crusaders, who played a game of dice named after their place of encampment, the castle Hasart.
- Early settlers, unused to such large marine creatures, cut them into dice called mootjies and simmered them with onions.
- Wash, core and cut at least 5 pounds of ripe tomatoes into large dice.
- We have changed the approach to incorporate tiny dices of pineapple in a mixture of cucumber and flakes of hot smoked salmon.
- He looked over at his fellow guards and saw them in the corner, dicing and conversing good-naturedly.
- Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites, small diced carrots, onion, and celery.
- Here, sweet red peppers are diced and sautéed with onions and garlic, combined with tomatoes and served as a soup with a raft of golden, fried feta cheese.
- After dicing the carrots, onions, and celery and adding them to the broth of duck, Mr. Bishop set out a bowl and saucer and glass of water when suddenly he was interrupted by a knocking on the door.
Usage
Historically, dice is the plural of die, but in modern standard English dice is both the singular and the plural: throw the dice could mean a reference to either one or more than one dice.
Phrases
dice with death
no dice
roll (or throw) of the dice
Derivatives
dicer
/ noun ...- ‘All around,’ Kermode comments, ‘were cardsharps and dicers, con men and money-lenders, roaring boys and roaring girls.’
- Because you - the readers, the slicers, dicers and copiers - hold in your collective action the secret of the future of publishing.
- It's a Chef's Pal, it's a dicer, grater, peeler all in one, never needs sharpening and it's dishwasher safe.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French des, plural of de (see die2).
Originally—and still in the USA—a gambler would throw two dice but one die. This singular form is now rare in British English, surviving mainly in the die is cast, ‘something has happened that cannot be undone’ said by Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon (see cross). The word came from Latin datum ‘something given, starting point’, a form of dare ‘to give’. This was interpreted as ‘something given by chance or fortune’ and applied to the dice determining the outcome of chance. Playing or gambling with dice is the idea behind dicing with death. Journalists began to use the expression in the early 20th century to convey the risks taken by racing drivers in the pursuit of success in their sport. It is probably the source of the adjective dicey meaning ‘dangerous’, first used by RAF pilots in the 1950s. See also bodice