Fred objected to being called deaf and dumb.
•Aunt Clara—she was deaf and dumb, you know—lived to be over 100.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
Deaf and dumb — Dumb Dumb, a. [AS. dumb; akin to D. dom stupid, dumb, Sw. dumb, Goth. dumbs; cf. Gr. ? blind. See {Deaf}, and cf. {Dummy}.] 1. Destitute of the power of speech; unable; to utter articulate sounds; as, the dumb brutes. [1913 Webster] To unloose… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
deaf and dumb — deaf and dumb, deaf and dumb deaf and dumbadj. both deaf and unable to speak; without the sense of hearing or the faculty of speech. Same as {Deaf mute}. [1913 Webster +PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
deaf-and-dumb — deaf and dumb, deaf and dumb deaf and dumbadj. both deaf and unable to speak; without the sense of hearing or the faculty of speech. Same as {Deaf mute}. [1913 Webster +PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
deaf-and-dumb — [def′ n dum′] adj. 1. deaf mute 2. of or for deaf mutes: Now regarded as offensive … English World dictionary
deaf-and-dumb — deaf′ and dumb′ adj. Offensive. off sts unable to hear and speak • Etymology: 1150–1200 usage: See dumb … From formal English to slang
deaf-and-dumb — adjective OFFENSIVE not able to hear or speak … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Deaf and dumb — the drum, inside information, e.g. I ll give you the deaf and dumb … Dictionary of Australian slang
deaf and dumb — I Australian Slang the drum, inside information, e.g. I ll give you the deaf and dumb II Cockney Rhyming Slang Bum … English dialects glossary
deaf-and-dumb — adjective unable to hear or speak the deaf and dumb noun (plural) … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
deaf and dumb fortune-teller — Occasional literary references in the 18th and 19th centuries indicate that deaf or dumb people were particularly sought after as fortune tellers. This is confirmed in a Scottish example reported in N&Q (1s:12 (1855), 488), and in the 1718… … A Dictionary of English folklore
Deaf and dumb alphabet — Alphabet Al pha*bet, n. [L. alphabetum, fr. Gr. ? + ?, the first two Greek letters; Heb. [=a]leph and beth: cf. F. alphabet.] 1. The letters of a language arranged in the customary order; the series of letters or signs which form the elements of… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
