dido
English
Etymology 1
Unknown. The "trick" sense might come from the trick of Dido, queen of Carthage, who, having bought as much land as a hide would cover, is said to have cut it into thin strips long enough to enclose a spot for a citadel.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdaɪdəʊ/
- Rhymes: -aɪdəʊ
Noun
- (slang, regional) A fuss, a row.
- 1928, Eugene O'Neill, Strange Interlude, Act Four, page 139:
- … she always had strong physical attraction for me … that time I kissed her … one reason I’ve steered clear since … take no chances on emotional didos …
- 1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York, published 2007, page 30:
- I remember Raymond telling me years later how when he lived at home, if his mother heard he had been seen as much as talking to a girl, she would kick up a dido.
- A shrewd trick; an antic; a caper.
- 1838, Joseph Clay Neal, Charcoal Sketches; Or, Scenes in a Metropolis, page 201:
- Young people," interposed a passing official, "if you keep a cutting didoes, I must talk to you both like a Dutch uncle.
- 1969, Maya Angelou, chapter 10, in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings[1], New York: Bantam, published 1971, page 55:
- Our youngest uncle, Billy, was not old enough to join in their didoes. One of their more flamboyant escapades has become a proud family legend.
Etymology 2
Adverb
dido
Anagrams
Aragonese
Etymology
From Latin digitus (“finger”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdido/
- Syllabification: di‧do
- Rhymes: -ido
Noun
dido m (plural didos)
References
- Bal Palazios, Santiago (2002) “dido”, in Dizionario breu de a luenga aragonesa, Zaragoza, →ISBN
Esperanto
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdido/
- Rhymes: -ido
- Hyphenation: di‧do
Noun
dido (accusative singular didon, plural didoj, accusative plural didojn)
- dodo (bird)
Latin
Alternative forms
Etymology
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈdiː.doː]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈd̪iː.d̪o]
Verb
dīdō (present infinitive dīdere, perfect active dīdidī, supine dīditum); third conjugation
- to give out, spread abroad, disseminate, distribute, scatter
Conjugation
Conjugation of dīdō (third conjugation)
Derived terms
References
- “dido”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “dido”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- dido in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- “dido”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “dido”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray