dare, to terrify, paralyse with fear. Beaumont and Fl., Maid’s Tragedy, iv. 1 (Evadne); to dare larks, to daze them in order to catch them, Hen. VIII, iii. 2. 282; ‘Never hobby so dared a lark’, Burton, Anat. Mel. (ed. 1896, iii. 390). In prov. use in various parts of England, see EDD. (s.v. Dare, vb.2 3).
dare, to injure, hurt. Chapman, tr. Iliad, xi. 406; Tusser, Husbandry, 8. In prov. use in the north of England and E. Anglia, see EDD. (s.v. Dare, vb.3). OE. derian, to hurt, deriv. of daru, hurt.
darkling, in the dark. Mids. Night’s D. ii. 2. 86; King Lear, i. 4. 237.
darkmans, a cant term for night. Middleton, Roaring Girl, v. 1 (Trapdoor); Brome, Jovial Crew, ii. 1 (Patrico).
darnex carpet, a Dornick carpet. Fletcher, Noble Gentleman, v. 1 (Jaques). ‘Dornick’ is the Flemish name of Tournay.
darraigne battle, to set the battle in array. Heywood, Sallust’s Jugurtha, 20; Spenser, F. Q. i. 4. 40; 3 Hen. VI, ii. 2. 72; ‘To darraine a triple warre’, Spenser, F. Q. ii. 2. 26. ME. darreyne the bataille, to fight out the battle, to bring it to a decisive issue (Chaucer, C. T. A. 1631). ‘Darraigne’ is really a law-term, Anglo-F. darreiner, dereiner, to answer an accusation, to exculpate oneself (Rough List); Med. L. disrationare (Ducange).
darreine, brazen; ‘The Darreine Tower’, Heywood, Golden Age, A. iv (Neptune); vol. iii, p. 55; (4 Beldam), p. 61; also called ‘the tower of Darreine’ (4 lines higher). The reference is to the brazen tower in which Danae was enclosed. F. d’arain, of brass (Cotgr.). (‘Darrain’ occurs nine times in Caxton, Hist. of Troye, with reference to the same story; the phrase tour of darrain is on leaf 62.)
dart, Irish, a dart frequently carried by an Irish running footman. Middleton, A Fair Quarrel, iv. 4 (Chough).
daunt, to bring into subjection, subdue, tame; ‘It daunts whole kingdoms and cities’, Burton, Anat. Mel. i. 2 (NED.); to daze, stupefy, Spenser, F. Q. i. 1. 18. In prov. use in the sense of ‘to tame’, also, in E. Anglia, ‘to stun, knock down’ (EDD.). ME. daunten, to tame (P. Plowman, B. xv. 393. Anglo-F. daunter (Bozon). See Dict.
daunted down, beaten down, subdued. Gascoigne, Grief of Joy, Third Song, st. 18.