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dummy
dum·my / ˈdəmē/ • n. (pl. -mies) 1. a model or replica of a human being: a waxwork dummy. ∎ a figure used for displaying or fitting clothes: a tailor's dummy. ∎ a ventriloquist's doll. ∎ a person taking no real part or present only for appearances; a figurehead. ∎ Bridge the declarer's partner, whose cards are exposed on the table after the opening lead and played by the declarer. ∎ Bridge the exposed hand of the declarer's partner. ∎ an imaginary fourth player in whist: [as adj.] dummy whist. 2. an object designed to resemble and serve as a substitute for the real or usual one: tests using stuffed owls and wooden dummies | [as adj.] a dummy torpedo. ∎ an enterprise existing mainly on paper, set up to facilitate fraud: [mainly as adj.] an elaborate scheme of dummy invoices, and even a dummy corporation, designed to underprice products. ∎ a prototype or mock-up, esp. of a book or the layout of a page. ∎ a blank round of ammunition. ∎ [as adj.] Gram. denoting a word that has no semantic content but is used to maintain grammatical structure: a dummy subject, as in “it is” or “there are.” 3. inf. a stupid person. • v. (-mies, -mied) [tr.] create a prototype or mock-up of a book or page: officials dummied up a set of photos. PHRASAL VERBS: dummy up inf. keep quiet; give no information. |
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"dummy." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "dummy." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-dummy.html "dummy." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-dummy.html |
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DUMMY
DUMMY. In GRAMMAR, an item that has little or no meaning but fills an obligatory position: (1) Prop it, which functions as subject with expressions of time (It's late), distance (It's a long way to Tipperary), and weather (It's raining); anticipatory it, which functions as subject (It's a pity that you're not here) or object (I find it hard to understand what's meant) when the subject or object of a clause is moved to a later position in the sentence, and is the subject in CLEFT SENTENCES (It was Peter who had an accident); (2) Existential there, which functions as subject in an existential sentence (There's nobody at the door). (3) The dummy auxiliary do, which is introduced, in the absence of any other auxiliary, to form questions (Do you know them?). See ANTICIPATORY IT.
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Cite this article
TOM McARTHUR. "DUMMY." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. TOM McARTHUR. "DUMMY." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-DUMMY.html TOM McARTHUR. "DUMMY." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-DUMMY.html |
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dummy
dummy n. pl. -ies
1. a figure used as a target in shooting or bayonet practice or in safety tests for vehicles: crash-test dummies. 2. an object designed to resemble and serve as a substitute for the real or usual one. 3. a blank round of ammunition. |
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Cite this article
"dummy." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "dummy." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-dummy.html "dummy." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-dummy.html |
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Dummy
DUMMYSham; make-believe; pretended; imitation. Person who serves in place of another, or who serves until the proper person is named or available to take hisplace (e.g., dummy corporate directors; dummy owners of real estate). |
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"Dummy." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dummy." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437701536.html "Dummy." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437701536.html |
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dummy
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "dummy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "dummy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-dummy.html T. F. HOAD. "dummy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-dummy.html |
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dummy
dummy
•fumy, gloomy, plumy, rheumy, roomie, roomy, spumy
•excuse-me • mushroomy • perfumy
•Brummie, chummy, crumby, crummy, dummy, gummy, lumme, mummy, plummy, rummy, scrummy, scummy, slummy, tummy, yummy
•academy • sodomy • blasphemy
•infamy
•bigamy, polygamy, trigamy
•endogamy, exogamy, heterogamy, homogamy, misogamy, monogamy
•hypergamy • alchemy • Ptolemy
•anomie • antinomy
•agronomy, astronomy, autonomy, bonhomie, Deuteronomy, economy, gastronomy, heteronomy, metonymy, physiognomy, taxonomy
•thingummy • Laramie • sesame
•blossomy
•anatomy, atomy
•hysterectomy, mastectomy, tonsillectomy, vasectomy
•epitome
•dichotomy, lobotomy, tracheotomy, trichotomy
•colostomy • bosomy
•squirmy, thermae, wormy
•taxidermy
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Cite this article
"dummy." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "dummy." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-dummy.html "dummy." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-dummy.html |
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