A dud is an
ammunition round or
explosive that fails to fire or detonate, respectively, on time or on command. Poorly designed devices (for example,
improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mecha ...
s (IEDs)), and small devices, have higher chances of being duds.
Duds are still dangerous, and can explode if handled. They have to be deactivated and disposed of carefully. In war-torn areas, many curious children have been injured or killed from tampering with such devices.
The term descends from the
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...
''dudde'', originally meaning worn-out or ragged clothing, and is a cognate of ''duds'' (i.e., "clothing") and ''dowdy''. Eventually ''dud'' became a general pejorative for something useless, including ammunition.
The variation absolute dud describes a
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
that fails to explode.
DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
/ref> (A nuclear weapon which does explode, but does not achieve its expected power, is termed a fizzle.)
By extension, "dud" has become a slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-g ...
word for anything that does not work or is defective.
Other meanings
Generally ''your duds'' are "your last possessions", what you are wearing and carrying, so ''nice duds'' is ironic and possibly an oxymoron. Other meanings of 'dud' are:
* Duds - 16th century term for "clothes".
* Dud - 17th century term for "worthless". Then 17th Century term for "old clothes" and "rags".
* Duddery - 17th-19th century term for a "clothier's booth", trading in old cloth and rags.
* To sweat your duds - 19th century term for "to pawn
Pawn most often refers to:
* Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous piece in the game
* Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral
Pawn may also refer to:
Places
* Pawn, Oregon, an his ...
one's clothes"
* Dudman - "Scarecrow!", possibly from Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
''Dood/dode man'' (dead man), or from the old clothes used to clothe a scarecrow.
* 'Dud' is also used to describe a person who failed to meet standards in relationships.
See also
*Bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milita ...
*Firearm malfunction
A firearm malfunction is the failure of a firearm to operate as intended for causes other than user error. Malfunctions range from temporary and relatively safe situations, such as a casing that did not eject, to potentially dangerous occurrences ...
* Unexploded ordnance
References
{{reflist
Ammunition