I never heard of it except as turf dug up by golf iron.
divot 7
n.
5Scot dial.< ?6
1 [Scot.] a thin slice of turf used as for roofing
2 Golf a lump of turf dislodged by a player‘s club in making a stroke
dockwalloper
n.
5DOCK1 + WALLOPER6 [Colloq.] LONGSHOREMAN
decorticate
vt.
3cat#ed, 3cat#ing 5< L decorticatus, pp. of decorticare < de3, from + cortex, bark: see CORTEX6 to remove the bark, husk, or peel from
de[cor#ti[ca4tion
n.
de[cor4ti[ca#tor
n.
Also a medical term in brain injury. Patient cannot respond to commands, has abnormal
muscular flexion. Next worse stage is absence of cerebral funtions, decerebrate. extension only.
dogbane
adj.
5so named because said to be poisonous to dogs6 designating a family (Apocynaceae, order Gentianales) of dicotyledonous herbs, shrubs, and trees, including frangipani and periwinkle
n.
any of a genus (Apocynum) of sometimes poisonous plants of the dogbane family, with opposite, entire leaves, small white or pink flowers, and milky juice
dogwatch
n.
Naut. either of the two duty periods (from 4 to 6 P.M. and from 6 to 8 P.M.) that are half the length of a normal period
dolabrate (adjective satellite) -
1. having the shape of the head of an ax or cleaver
Synonyms: dolabriform
dolomite
n.
5after D=odat de Dolomieu (1750-1801), Fr geologist6
1 a common rock-forming mineral, CaMg(CO3) 2, often occurring in extensive beds
2 any of several rocks similar to dolomite in composition
A bit of trivia. Name dolomite is from a formation in Italian Alps, near where "Ötzi" was found.
A dogwatch is half as long as a regular one. it is "cur-tailed".
"Dear Word Detective: I'm reading a Patrick O'Brian novel about the Royal Navy during the
Napoleonic Wars and was wondering about the actual origin of the term "dog watch."
According to O'Brian's characters it's called the "dog watch" because it's "cur-tailed." This of
course brings to mind the phrase "that dog won't hunt." I'm sure there is a terribly close
relationship between the Royal Navy and your average hillbilly just waiting to be revealed. --
Stuart Zimmerman, via the internet."
Dunno bout no Patrick O'Brian etymologies. When I was in the Navy they said it was a corruption of docked watch with dock in the sense "to cut short." Its purpose was to allow people who would have the 1600 to 2000 watch to eat dinner, which was served from about 1700 to about 1900. People who had the second dog watch would get early chow line privileges and could eat and relieve those on the first dog watch in time for them to eat.
Corruption of docked watch sounds more likely to me. The Naval officialdom was never noted for its sense of humour! But O'Brian can be forgiven such a minor slip. I used to believe that no one would write better novels dealing with the Royal Navy of this period than CS Forrester. Now I think no one will ever do better than Patrick O'Brian. A strange man, however, and a shame that he is dead.
Cur-tailed may well have been a popular folk etymology/in joke of the time. I certainly wouldn't put it past Mr O'Brian to have researched up that bit of information.
Dear Faldage: It just occurred to me that Patrick O'Brian was slyer than
either of us realized. He knew your obviously correct derivation, and
changed "dock = cut an animal's tail" into "cur-tail".
Oh, it's a good enough pun, as puns go.