among gamblers, certain cubical pieces of bone or ivory, marked with dots on each of their faces, from one to six, according to the number of faces.

Sharps have several ways of falsifying dice. 1. By sticking a hog's bristle in them, so as to make them run high or low, as they please. 2. By drilling and loading them with quicksilver; which cheat is found out by holding them gently by two diagonal corners; for if false, the heavy sides will turn always down. 3. By filing and rounding them. But all these ways fall far short of the art of the dice-makers; some of whom are so dextrous this way, that your sharpening gamblers will give any money for them.

Dice formerly paid 5s. every pair imported, with an additional duty of 4s. 9½d. for every 20s. value upon oath; but are now prohibited to be imported.

DICHTOMY, a term used by astronomers for that phase, or appearance of the moon, wherein she is bisected, or shows just half her disk. In this situation the moon is said to be in a quadrature aspect, or to be in her quadrature.

DICHTOMY, in botany. See Botany, p. 641.

DICHTOPOPHYLLUM, it botany. See Ceratophyllum.