=Dahlia=--däl´ya or dāl´-ya, not dăl´ya.
=Dare not=, not darse'nt.
=Data=--dā´ta, not dăt´a, is the plural of datum (dā´tum).
=Debris=--dā-brē´, not dē´brĭs nor dā´brē.
Rubbish, ruins.
=Decade=--dĕk´ade, not dē´kade nor dē-kāde´. Ten in
number.
=Defalcate=--de-făl´kate, not de-fawl´kāte.
=Defalcation=--dē-făl-kā´shun not dē-fawl-kā´shun.
Worcester gives dĕf-al-kā´shun. No such word as
_defalcater_ is seen.
=Deficit=--dĕf´i-sit, not de-fī´sit nor de-fĭs´sit. A
deficiency.
=Delusion=, not _illusion_, when deception occurs from want of
knowledge of the world, ignorance of business or trade, or from
lack of acumen generally. Illusions are deceptions arising from
a temporarily or permanently disordered imagination, or from
phenomena occurring in nature: thus we speak of the illusions of
fancy, of dreams, and of optical illusions. The mirage of the
desert and the fata Morgana are instances of the latter.
=Demonstrative=--de-mŏn´stra-tive, not dĕm´on-strā-tive.
=Demonstrator=--dĕm´on-strā-tor, not de-mŏn´strā-tor.
Worcester allows the latter.
=Depot=--de-pō´ or dē´pō, not dā´pō, nor
dĕp´po. Worcester sanctions de-pō´ only. I once had a
friend, deceased now, of course, who called it de-pŏt´.
=Dereliction=--der-e-lĭk´shun, not dĕr-e-lĕk´shun. A
forsaking, abandonment.
=Deshabille=--dĕs-a-bĭl´, } =Dishabille=--dĭs-a-bĭl´,
} not dĕs´ha-beel nor dĭs´ha-beel. The French is
déshabillé, pronounced about like dā-zä-be-yā, without
any particular accent. Some persons, in their vain efforts to
get the peculiar liquid sound of the double l, sometimes used,
distort the word terribly, pronouncing it even as broad as
dĭs-ha-beel´yuh.
=Desideratum=--de-sid-e-rā´tum, not de-sĭd-er-ăt´um;
plural, de-sĭd-er-ā´ta. Something particularly desired.
=Desperado=--des-per-ā´do, not des-per-ä´do.
=Dessert=--dĕz-zërt´, not dĕz´zert, nor dĕs´sert:
_dessert-spoon_ (dez-zërt´-spoon).
=Die.= One dies _of_ a disease, not with it.
=Differ.= One differs with a person in opinion; one person or
thing differs _from_ another in some quality.
=Disappointed.= One is disappointed _of_ a thing not obtained and
_in_ a thing obtained. "He will be disappointed of his
expectations."
=Discourse=--dis-kōrs´, not dĭs´kōrs.
=Disputable=--dis´pu-ta-ble, not dis-pū´ta-ble.
=Disputant=--dis´pu-tant, not dis-pū´tant.
=Distich=--dĭs´tĭk, not dĭs´tĭch. Two poetic lines
making sense.
=Docible=--dŏs´i-ble, not dō´si-ble. Tractable; teachable.
=Docile=--dŏs´ĭl, not dō´sīle.
=Dolorous=--dŏl´or-ŭs, not dō´lor-oŭs. =Dolorously=
and =Dolorousness= are similarly accented; but =dolor= is
pronounced dō´lor.
=Doubt.= "I do not doubt but that it is so," is a very common
error. The meaning conveyed is just the opposite to that which
the speaker intends. He declares in other words, that he has
_no_ doubt _but_ a doubt that it is so; or he does not doubt
that it is false. "I have no doubt but," and "there is no doubt
but,"--are similar mistakes. The word "but" should be left out.
=Dough-face= means one that is easily molded to one's will, or
readily changed in his views, and not a putty-faced or
white-faced person.
=Dragomans=, not _dragomen_, is the plural of _dragoman_, an
Eastern interpreter.
=Drama=--drä´ma or drā´ma, not drăm´a. Worcester says
drā´ma or drăm´a.
=Dramatis Personæ=--drăm´a-tīs per-sō´nē, not
dra-măt´is pĕr´so-nē.
=Drank=, not _drunk_, is the imperfect tense of drink.
=Ducat=--dŭk´at, not dū´kat.