dud

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(dŭd) pronunciation
n.
  1. A bomb, shell, or explosive round that fails to detonate.
  2. Informal. One that is disappointingly ineffective or unsuccessful.
  3. duds Informal.
    1. Clothing.
    2. Personal belongings.

[Middle English dudde, a cloak.]


noun

  1. One that fails completely: bust, failure, fiasco, loser, washout. Informal flop, lemon. Slang bomb. See thrive/fail/exist.
  2. Articles worn to cover the body. apparel, attire, clothes, clothing, dress, garment (used in plural), habiliment (often used in plural), raiment. Informal tog (used in plural). Slang thread (used in plural). See put on/take off.


n

Definition: failure
Antonyms: success

n. explosive munition that has not been armed as intended or that has failed to explode after being armed.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

(DOD, NATO) Explosive munition which has not been armed as intended or which has failed to explode after being armed. See also absolute dud; dwarf dud; flare dud; nuclear dud.

noun
noun

1:
pl. Clothes. (1307 —) .
W. Kennedy Put her in new duds, high heels and silk stockin's (1979).

2:
A counterfeit article. (1897 —) .

3:
A futile or ineffectual person or thing. (1908 —) .
R. Graves An expert on shell-fish, otherwise a dud (1951).

4:
A shell, bomb, firework, etc. that fails to explode or ignite. (1915 —) .
Public Opinion All the torpedoes they carry are duds (1923). adjective

5:
Counterfeit. (1903 —) .

6:
Useless, worthless, unsatisfactory, or futile. (1904 —) .
Times Literary Supplement The dud violinists rehearsing in the next room (1958).

[Origin uncertain.]


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For a list of words related to dud, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Dud.

A dud is an ammunition round or explosive that fails to fire or detonate, respectively, on time or on command.

Duds are still dangerous and have to be deactivated and disposed of carefully. Poorly designed devices (for example, improvised explosive devices (IEDs)), and small devices, have higher chances of being duds. The term descends from the Middle English dudde, meaning "ragged clothing", and had been in usage as a general pejorative for something worn-out or useless for several centuries prior to the widespread adoption of the fused explosive artillery shell.

The variation absolute dud describes a nuclear weapon that fails to explode.[1] (A nuclear weapon which does explode, but does not achieve its expected power, is termed a fizzle).

Although dud rounds have failed to function as designed, they are still dangerous, and can explode if handled. In wartorn areas, many curious children have been injured or killed from tampering with such devices. Dud fireworks should be destroyed by soaking in water.

By extension, "dud" has become a slang word for anything that does not work or is defective. There is also a candy called Milk Duds, so named because it was impossible to get them perfectly round.

Other meanings

Generally your duds are "your last possessions", what you are wearing and carrying, so nice duds is ironic and possibly an oxymoron. Other meanings of 'dud' are:

  • Duds - 16th century term for "clothes".
  • Dud - 17th century term for "worthless". Then 17th Century term for "old clothes" and "rags".
  • Duddery - 17th-19th century term for a "clothier's booth", trading in old cloth and rags.
  • To sweat your duds - 19th century term to "pawn one's clothes"
  • Dudman - "Scarecrow!", possibly from Dutch Dood/dode man (dead man), or from the old clothes used to clothe a scarecrow.
  • 'Dud' is also used to describe a person who failed to meet standards in relationships.
  • Dud (Hungarian: Dúd), a village in Târnova Commune, Arad County, Romania

See also

References



Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - fiasko, umulius, forfalskning, forsager, fuser, kluns
adj. - uduelig, umulig, falsk

Nederlands (Dutch)
mislukkeling, onontplofte granaat etc., prul, vals (biljet/cheque etc.), kleding, niet goed functionerend, niet succesvol

Français (French)
n. - bombe non éclatée, obus non éclaté, type nul, raté, nippes (npl), faux (montre), qui ne marche pas
adj. - non éclaté (une bombe), mal fichu, à la noix (qch), sans provision (un chèque), nul (une personne), faux (qch)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Blindgänger, Versager, Fälschung, Klamotten
adj. - nutzlos, gefälscht

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - άχρηστος, αποτυχημένος (κν. τενεκές), μη εκραγείσα οβίδα, κάτι άχρηστο (κν. τζούφιο, μάπα)
adj. - άχρηστος, αποτυχημένος, σκάρτος

Italiano (Italian)
gingillo, inutile, effetti personali

Português (Portuguese)
n. - roupa (f), coisas (f pl) (gír.)
adj. - imprestável, falsificado (gír.)

Русский (Russian)
подделка, неразорвавшийся снаряд, шмотки

Español (Spanish)
n. - fruslería, proyectil que no estalla, mercancía invendible, desastre, calamidad, trapos, ropa
adj. - falso, sin fondos (cheque), incapaz, inútil, defectuoso

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - blindgångare, oduglig sak
adj. - oduglig

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
衣服, 无用物, 哑弹, 无用的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 衣服, 無用物, 啞彈
adj. - 無用的

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 쓸모없는 사람, 소지품
adj. - 가짜의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 不発弾, 持ち物
adj. - だめな

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شئ فشل عمله بدقه, شخص مخفق (صفه) ذو عله, عديم القيمه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮דבר חסר-ערך, סחבות, בלואים, בגדים, כישלון, אדם או דבר שאינם מביאים תועלת, פריט מזויף, פגז נפל‬
adj. - ‮חסר-תועלת, לא-מספק, מזויף, חסר-ערך‬


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Mentioned in

Dud Bascomb (Jazz Artist, '50s, '60s)
The Delfonics Super Hits (1972 Album by The Delfonics)
Recordando Nuestra Patria, Vol. 2 (Album by Various Artists)
Helen Jepson (Actor, Comedy Drama/Musical)