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dumdum1

[duhm-duhm]
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noun
  1. a hollow-nosed or soft-nosed bullet that expands on impact, inflicting a severe wound.
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Origin of dumdum1

First recorded in 1895–1900; named after Dum-Dum, town in India where the bullets were made
Also called dumdum bullet.

dumdum2

[duhm-duhm]
noun, adjective
  1. dum-dum.
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dum-dum

or dumb-dumb

[duhm-duhm]Slang.
noun
  1. a silly, stupid person.
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adjective
  1. typical of a dum-dum: another dum-dum idea.
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Origin of dum-dum

apparently reduplication and respelling of dumb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

dummyslowdimsimpleimbecilepinheadstupidtoucheddumbbelldullsubnormalyo-yodumdumfooldunceidiotgoondopeblockheadchump

Examples from the Web for dumdum

Historical Examples

  • The stories of the effects of the Throg's dumdum weapon were anything but pretty.

    Storm Over Warlock

    Andre Norton

  • All I could get out of it was that a dumdum bullet had smashed his right shinbone.

    Men in War

    Andreas Latzko

  • Another large poster appeared in all parts of the town stating that the British had been convicted of using Dumdum bullets.

    Wounded and a Prisoner of War

    Malcolm V. (Malcolm Vivian) Hay

  • March 8—British charge that German dumdum bullets were found after a recent battle in Egypt.

  • The Declaration concerning expanding (dumdum) bullets; see below, 112.

British Dictionary definitions for dumdum

dumdum

noun
  1. a soft-nosed or hollow-nosed small-arms bullet that expands on impact and inflicts extensive lacerationAlso called: dumdum bullet
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Word Origin

C19: named after Dum-Dum, town near Kolkata (Calcutta) where these bullets were made
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012