Dance Hall of the Dead (1973)

An academic status also known as "all but dissertation," or ABD. The doctoral candidate has completed all coursework, comprehensive examinations, and oral defenses required to advance to doctoral candidacy. When a student reaches doctoral candidacy status, all that remains between that student and a Ph.D. is the additional research and subsequent writing necessary to complete the doctoral dissertation.

To skip, avoid, leave, or refuse to participate in an event or activity. One can ditch school or one's acquaintances by leaving them behind or by never showing up to begin with.

In this sense, ditch can also mean leaving something behind.

An individual who dispatches, or facilitates, the exchange of information, typically via radio transmission. Dispatchers usually work at a central hub of an organization through which the organization's members channel information as it is acquired and processed.

In his Navajo detective novels, Tony Hillerman sometimes uses the anachronism "radioman" when referring to a dispatcher.

More often spelled "Diné," Dinee can be translated from the Navajo language as "the People." Diné is also how the Navajo refer to themselves. The Diné are the largest federally recognized Native American group in the United States. Their reservation is spread out throughout the Four Corners region of the American Southwest, and includes portions of the states of Arizona, New Mexico,and Utah.

The Diné base their way of life on a belief that the physical and spiritual world blend together and everything on earth is alive, related, and in equilibrium or ho′zho′. In this light, they observe two primary ceremonials, among many others. The first is the Blessing Way, which keeps them on the path of wisdom and happiness. The second is the Enemy Way, which is meant to discourage evil spirits, eliminate ghosts, and cleanse an individual of elements or affects that have placed her or him out of balance.

Distinguished from a Clovis point in that Clovis points come from a slightly older culture and are slightly less sophisticated points in terms of stone working techniques. Folsom points, on the other hand, are produced by a slightly later culture and are slightly more sophisticated. This attribution derives from a Folsom point's fluted edge, which is an example of the pressure flaking technique, one of the most sophisticated techniques associated with handmade stone artifacts. Artifacts from both the older Clovis and later Folsom cultures have been found in what is now New Mexico.

An individual who superficially exhibits "strong" or "deep" cultural attachments without knowing anything about the culture to which he or she becomes attached. The individual may thoroughly enjoy this attachment, but because of ignorance or lack of desire develops no real commitment to the interest. Although this behavior may manifest in a purely naïve fashion, often the word dilettante connotes someone who is self-serving and indulgent.

An archaeological site in which soil and other organic and inorganic materials are removed during a methodical investigation of the contents of the various historical substrates in the upper layers of the earth's surface.

An anachronistic metaphor that alludes to a figurative death upon arrival, specifically in terms of the generation of thoughts while brainstorming. In other words, as soon as an idea presents itself, it gets thrown away, because the thinker immediately critiques the suggestion and finds it improbable.

A deputy sheriff is subordinate to the sheriff, often operating as the second-in-command.

A sheriff is generally an elected position and is the highest law enforcement officer of a county. In some cases, the sheriff and his staff may function as the police force. In larger, urban communities, the sheriff's role may be confined to superficial or political posturings, or may be used to support juridical functions in support of the county's court system. In some cases, the position of sheriff has been merged with that of the chief of police, meaning that the sheriff occupies both a political as well as a disciplinary position. In either case, a deputy will tend to function at an operational level, either alone or along with a cohort of other deputies, to enforce the policies, directives, and tactical assignments established by the sheriff.

A tough cotton textile, typically dyed indigo blue. First made in France, where it was called "serge de Nîmes," which is where we get the name "denim," the fabric has been iconically used in the United States since the eighteenth century. First associated with the working class,especially miners during the various nineteenth-century goldrushes, denim has also attained cult status as a fashion statement in and of itself.