Didemnum (didemnum)

[NL., Dididæ (dī'di-dē), n. pl. [NL., didine (dī'din), a. [ didn't (did'nt). A contraction of did not, in frequent colloquial use. dido (dī'do), n. [ME. dido; in allusion to the familiar tale of the trick played by Dido, the legendary queen of Carthage, in bargaining for as much land as could be covered by a hide, and cutting the hide into a long thin strip so as to inclose a large tract: L. Dido, Gr. Διδώ.] 11. An old story. "This is a Dido, " quath this doctour, “a disours tale!" Piers Plowman (C), xvi. 171. 2. A caper; a prank; a trick. - To cut a dido, to make mischief; play a prank; cut a caper. Them Italian singers recit in' their jabber, show in' their teeth, and cuttin ' didoes at a private concert. Haliburton , Sam Slick in Eng.