Talking Numbers



Talking Numbers : Numbers have always fascinated mankind. The ancients attached mystical significance to numbers and believed they held all the mysterious to the origins and systematic functioning of the universe.

Indeed, numbers can talk if only we know how to decipher their secret meanings. The word number itself has many meanings, besides the regular mathematical definition, one of these being: a song, dance or other musical item, according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary.

In this chapter, we will let numbers do the talking in unlocking the meaning of hitherto esoteric or meaningless words. The words on these pages are either directly derived from numbers or have numbers embedded in their etymology (roots) or meanings.

You are welcome to share your talking numbers with the rest of the world by submitting them to us. We will add those words in these lists.


Debut : noun

A person's first appearance in a capacity or role


Decade : noun

1. A period of ten years

2. A set or group of ten


Decathlon : noun

An athletic event in which each competitor takes part in the same ten events


Decimate : verb

1. Kill or destroy a large proportion of, drastically reduce the strength of

2. (In ancient Rome) kill one in every ten (of a group of soldiers) as a punishment for the mutiny of the whole group


Dichotomy : noun

1. A division or contrast between two things that are opposed or entirely different

2. (Botany) repeated branching into two equal parts


Dilemma : noun

1. A situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives

2. (Logic) an argument forcing an opponent to choose either of two unfavourable alternatives.


Doublespeak : noun

Deliberately ambiguous or obscure language

Novelist George Orwell coined the word in 1949.


Double standard : noun

A rule or principle applied unfairly in different ways to different people


Double take : noun

A delayed reaction to something unexpected, immediately after one's first reaction


Double whammy : noun

(Informal) a twofold blow or setback


Duo : noun

A pair of people or things, especially in music or entertainment


Duologue : noun

A play or part of a play with speaking roles for two actors only


Duplicitous : adjective

1. Deceitful

2. Law (of a charge or plea) containing more than one allegation


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