D. In the _Complete Book_, D means dead or deserted; Dsq., discharged from the service, or into another ship. D. .Q. Means, in the complete book, discharged to sick quarters. DAB. The sea-flounder. An old general term for a pleuronect or flat fish of any kind, but usually appropriated to the _Platessa limanda_. The word is familiarly applied to one who is expert in anything. DAB-CHICK. The little grebe, _Podiceps minor_. A small diving bird common in lakes and rivers. DABBERLACK. A kind of long sea-weed on our northern coasts. DACOITS. _See_ DEKOYTS. DADDICK. A west-country term for rotten-wood, touch-wood, &c. DAGEN. A peculiar dirk or poignard. DAGGAR. An old term for a dog-fish. DAGGER-KNEE. A substitute for the hanging-knee, applied to the under side of the lodging-knee; it is placed out of the perpendicular to avoid a port-hole. Anything placed aslant or obliquely, now generally termed diagonal, of which, indeed, it is a corruption.
The Sailor's Word Book by William Henry Smyth edited by Edward Belcher, published originally in 1867 by Blackie & Son
