Demon.1adj.
/ˈdɛməʊ/, U.S. /ˈdɛmoʊ/ U.S. Politics (chiefly colloquial).
A. n.1
= democrat n. 2. Cf. Dem n.1
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society > authority > rule or government > politics > American politics > [noun] > Democratic Party > member or adherent of
Demo1794
wool hat1794
democrat1798
Dem1806
1794 W. B. Grove Let. 2 Apr. in Papers of John Steele (1924) I. 108 Mr. Smiley—a man who was very Popular in the State assembly, he is a great Demo. and taulks tolerable well.
1804 T. G. Fessenden Orig. Poems 77 In vain each Demo spouts and bellows.
1805 ‘C. Caustic’ Democracy Unveiled iii. 74 Our Demo's then..Are hooted at throughout society.
1886 Million 24 July 162/2 There is no reason for dubbing them either repubs or demos.
1948 Chesterton (Indiana) Tribune 28 Oct. 12/3 The program chairman kept peace between GOP and Demos.
1995 Mother Jones June 5/2 For every Newt, the Demos have a Ron Brown.
B. adj. (attributive).
= democratic adj. 2. Cf. democrat n. Compounds 1b.
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society > authority > rule or government > politics > American politics > [adjective] > Democratic Party
Demo1801
democratic1802
Dem1810
1801 Spirit of Farmers' Museum 241 The sun—who through a cranny spy'd The little rage of demo pride, Then smil'd contempt on their ill nature.
1843 A. Hutchinson Diary 10 July in Q. Texas State Hist. Assoc. (1910) 311 Spl session of legislature—Demo Convention.
1851 S. P. Chase Let. 29 July in Publ. Buffalo Hist. Soc. (1918) XXII. 425 The Demo. Conv. (old line) will meet next week.
1931 Iola (Kansas) Daily Reg. 26 May 1/5 (headline) Demo Congressman dies.
1968 H. S. Thompson Let. 10 May in Fear & Loathing in Amer. (2000) 70 I want some sort of press credentials for the Demo convention in Chicago.
2000 Deseret News (Salt Lake City) (Nexis) 2 Nov. a32 (headline) Republicans target seat of 2-term Demo senator.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
demon.2
/ˈdɛməʊ/, U.S. /ˈdɛmoʊ/ colloquial.
1. A public march or rally in protest against or in support of something; = demonstration n. 7.
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society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > militancy > [noun] > demonstration
protesting1582
demonstration1839
manifestation1875
demo1904
march1908
protest march1914
zap1972
society > communication > manifestation > showing to the sight > exposure to public view > public demonstration > [noun]
demonstration1839
demo1904
1904 Truth (Sydney) 11 Sept. 7/2 A dig at demos. On a charge of distributing certain handbills advertising a ‘Monster Democratic Demonstration’.
1936 ‘J. Curtis’ Gilt Kid iii. 28 The anti-war demo last week.
1949 A. Wilson Wrong Set 100 Norman's out at the demo. At Trafalgar Square.
1961 Guardian 15 Sept. 10/6 She was fined £1 for obstruction in an anti-nuclear ‘demo’ this spring.
1975 Sunday Times (Johannesburg) 27 July 20 The first demo the capital has seen in many a long, conforming day.
1988 A. Ginsberg Let. 29 Oct. in Sel. Lett. (2009) 284 Tomorrow, anti-nuke demo in Osaka.
2012 Daily News (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 7 Feb. 2 (headline) Student demo disrupts lectures.
2. Originally U.S.
a. An item of merchandise (esp. a car or other vehicle) which can be tested by prospective buyers; esp. one which is then sold at a reduced price; a demonstration model.
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1935 La Crosse (Wisconsin) Tribune & Leader-Press 29 Sept. 15/4 (advt.) Used car specials 1935 Olds Six demo.
1949 N.Y. Times 23 Jan. v. 6 (advt.) Sensational values... New Cars & Demos included.
1969 Pop. Mech. Mar. 101 If a car has been used by the manufacturer or a dealer (as a ‘demo’, for example), the warranty begins when the car was first put into service, regardless of by whom.
2001 Camcorder User June 40/1 (advt.) You won't be fobbed off with grey imports, demos or graded stock. You can be sure you'll only receive genuine articles when you shop with us.
2008 B. Munroe Car Buying Revealed i. 12 Some manufacturers will give the dealer some type of incentive for using the car as a demo and then selling it.
b. A recording made to demonstrate or display the abilities of a singer, musician, or group, or to promote a new song, style of music, etc., esp. to record companies, disc jockeys, and agents; a demo disc, demo tape, etc. (see demo disc n., demo tape n. at Compounds 2). Cf. sampler n.1 6.
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society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > a sound recording > [noun] > type of
phonogram1878
phonograph record1878
phonautogram1887
re-recording1927
sound picture1928
studio recording1929
talking book1932
wire recording1933
audiobook1942
bootleg1951
music track1953
demo1954
single track1959
soundbite1973
pod2006
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > other musical instruments > [noun] > electronic > recorded sound
high fidelity1938
air shot1940
demo1954
audiotape1959
demo tape1963
Cassingle1978
CD1979
1954 Billboard 27 Nov. 14/4 Altho the demo is designed for distributors, it can also be used by dealers; so M-G-M's distributors will leave the demos with their retail clients for use on the customer level.
1960 H. Wentworth & S. B. Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang 144/2 Demo, a phonograph record made for demonstration purposes, to display the talents of a singer or musician or the merits of a new song to booking agents, bands, radio stations, and the like.
1969 P. Williams Outlaw Blues v. 109 They had done a demo for Columbia and then I went to work with them for Elektra, preparing them.
1985 M. Gee Light Years xix. 146 He's going to be a vocalist... He's already made some demos.
1992 Making Music May 11/1 The average demo sent to a major label has about as much chance as a raindance in hell.
2008 Magnet No. 79. 25/1 The outcome is a 4 song demo filled with catchy pop/punk songs with driving guitar.
c. In extended use: an initial or preliminary recording of a song intended to demonstrate the basic melody and structure, and typically having a raw or unpolished sound.
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society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > [noun] > rehearsal for recording
prerehearsal1945
demo1962
1962 Billboard 10 Nov. 67/2 Denny said he'll often hear a song one day, make a demo of it the next morning and it will be recorded by some name artist the same afternoon.
1976 Sounds 28 Feb. 49/5 ‘Solid Gold Easy Action’ made the single sound like a demo in comparison.
1989 C. S. Murray Crosstown Traffic iii. 76 Both albums betray their makeshift origins—some of the tracks are obvious demos on which work was still in progress, hence the occasional fluffed lyric or out-of-tune guitar.
1993 Q Jan. 99/1 It's packed with nearly 40 previously unreleased live cuts, outtakes, demos, rare and original home recordings.
2009 D. Hajdu Heroes & Villains iv. 118 White Stripes tracks sound like demos—or, occasionally, rehearsals for demos.
d. Computing. A version of a computer program (esp. a computer game), typically with limited access or restricted functionality, which is distributed to demonstrate or promote the product.
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society > computing and information technology > software > [noun] > free or for evaluation
demo1983
freeware1983
shareware1983
1983 InfoWorld 12 Dec. 104/3 This is the first time he has tried to distribute a computer game on a national scale. So far only about 300 copies have been sold, mostly demos.
1998 C. Harper And that's Way it will Be vii. 112 Our mandate was to encourage people to download the demo and then buy the game.
2004 Orange County (Calif.) Reg. (Nexis) 26 June Writing for computer magazines..became Campbell's graduate school. Tech companies sent him demos of their software.
2008 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 6 Mar. c6/4 Nintendo recently announced that it would soon offer DS demos to be downloaded to the hand-held's main memory and playable until the device is powered off, at which point they disappear.
3. A practical demonstration of how something works or is done; esp. a demonstration of the merits, operation, use, etc., of a product to prospective buyers. Cf. demonstration n. 5.
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society > education > teaching > [noun] > other methods of teaching
demonstration1742
bear-leading1766
royal road1793
tachydidaxy1846
object teaching1851
object system1862
methodic1864
community education1873
methodics1883
maieutics1885
type-system1901
direct method1904
spoon-feeding1905
play method1914
playway1914
project method1916
active learning1919
study skills1924
skit1926
free activity1929
hypnopaedia1932
sleep-teaching1932
chalk and talk1937
show-and-tell1941
demo1945
naming of (the) parts1946
team teaching1949
teleteaching1953
programming1954
audio-lingualism1961
immersion1965
dem1968
open learning1970
suggestopaedia1970
suggestopedy1970
distance learning1972
fast-tracking1972
paideia1982
tutorial1984
m-learning2001
1945 Billboard 19 May 56/3 A demo on shampoo.
1969 Black Belt Jan. 19/2 What'ya' think about Fumio Demura turning movie star with demos of his sai technique?
1992 ICAME Jrnl. Apr. 71 The demonstration version is loaded straightforwardly, and can be run in three modes, short demo, detailed demo and interactive demo. The first two walk you through the system functions, and the interactive mode allows you to take control.
1992 J. Torrington Swing Hammer Swing! iii. 16 I'll give you a wee demo if you like.
2010 Guardian 15 May (Travel section) 12/3 There are loads of outdoor courses, from firecraft to knifecraft, archery demos, and yurt-building workshops.
Compounds
C1. General attributive (chiefly in sense 2), as demo mode, demo track, demo version, etc.Some of the more established compounds of this type are treated separately.
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1953 Billboard 26 Sept. 21/1 A complete promotional kit, including window streamers, a complete window display unit, the demo record..and ad mats, is being supplied to dealers.
1954 Billboard 17 July 22/2 Other labels also have hi-fi demo items.
1969 Pop. Mech. July 79/1 No experienced dealer would think of making a demo-run [of a trailer] with an ordinary hitch.
1970 Daily Tel. 19 Nov. 7/2 Only the other day she was a dedicated demo-girl, but now she has settled down to exemplary bourgeois domesticity.
1981 New Mus. Express 20 June 19/3 On the original demo version of ‘Wheel Me Out’..the sound is pretty batty, definitely of the plinky-plonk experimental school.
1991 Airforces Monthly Oct. 55 (caption) One of the Belgian Army's 18 Sqn Alouette III demo team, the Wasps, seen with a hanger-on at St Mawgen on August 8.
1992 Guardian 2 Jan. 29/2 The program is in ‘demo mode’ and playing with itself.
2004 Hull Daily Mail (Nexis) 23 Oct. 16 Three previously unreleased demo tracks by the Housemartins.
C2.
demo disc n. a recording made to demonstrate or display the abilities of a singer, musician, or group, or to promote a new song, style of music, etc., esp. to record companies, disc jockeys, and agents (cf. earlier demonstration disc n. at demonstration n. Compounds 2); (later also more generally) any disc used for demonstration or promotion of a product, esp. a computer program or game.
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society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > a sound recording > [noun] > record or disc > type of record
pre-release1871
record album1904
re-release1907
ten-inch1908
twelve-incher1909
demonstration record1911
pressing1912
swinger1924
repressing1927
transcription1931
long-player1932
rush release1935
pop record1937
album1945
demonstration disc1947
pop disc1947
pop single1947
long-play1948
picture disc1948
781949
single1949
forty-five1950
demo disc1952
EP1952
shellac1954
top of the pops1956
gold disc1957
acetate1962
platinum disc1964
chartbuster1965
miss1965
cover1966
reissue1966
pirate label1968
rock record1968
thirty-three (and a third)1968
sampler1969
white-label1970
double album1971
dubplate1976
seven-inch1977
mini-album1980
joint1991
1952 Billboard 8 Nov. 59/3 (headline) New scale seen for demo disks.
1958 San Antonio (Texas) Light 7 Sept. f7/1 The London demo disc's promise of thrilling new sounds is richly fulfilled.
1963 Time & Tide 11 Sept. 8/3 One other method of becoming known is to send an agent a ‘demodisc’—a gramophone record on which the singer or musician demonstrates his ability.
1985 Pract. Computing May 54/2 (advt.) We'd like you to..send for a free demo-disk.
2012 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 1 Apr. (Features section) 18 Universal signed her on the strength of a demo disc, and her first album, Premiere, became one of the biggest classical hits of the Noughties.
demo tape n. a tape recording made to demonstrate the abilities of a singer, musician, or group to record companies, disc jockeys, etc.
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society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > a sound recording > [noun] > tape
taping1886
tape record1905
tape recording1940
audiotape1959
tapescript1961
demo tape1963
musicassette1966
DAT1982
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > other musical instruments > [noun] > electronic > recorded sound
high fidelity1938
air shot1940
demo1954
audiotape1959
demo tape1963
Cassingle1978
CD1979
1963 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 24 July 31/6 (advt.) Songs wanted for promotion. Submit lyrics and melodies. Songs revised and arranged. Demo tapes made, lead sheets published.
1970 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 26 Sept. 27/3 Danny has a demo tape he carts around, a tape with two tunes.
1986 Sunday Express Mag. 17 Aug. 40/3 Radio 1 DJ Janice Long was impressed by a demo tape which Owen sent and she featured him on her programme.
2008 S. Armitage Gig (2009) 268 Back then, to make any progress would have meant putting together a decent demo tape, getting signed to a label and releasing a record.
demoware n. Computing software which demonstrates the capabilities of a commercially available software product, and is typically distributed free of charge by the producer.
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1987 Chicago Tribune 20 Sept. vii. 9/4 (advt.) Apple II Fest!.. Bring a disk and load up on plenty of new public domain software & demoware.
1998 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 12 Jan. d7 ‘Demoware’..is what savvy software publishers are now turning to in order to get users hooked on their programmes.
2011 J. J. Parsons & D. Oja Pract. PC xviii. 258 Some bundled software is actually demoware that you'll have to pay for if you want to continue to use it past the trial period.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
demon.3
/ˈdɛməʊ/, U.S. /ˈdɛmoʊ/ colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.).
= demolition n. Frequently (and in earliest use) attributive.
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the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > [noun] > demolition
subversiona1382
razinga1400
racing?a1450
beating down1530
rasing1552
demolishing1560
plucking1560
demolitiona1572
downpulling1581
demolishment1602
slighting1640
wreck1711
wrecking1775
wreckage1837
train-wrecking1872
unbuilding1879
demo1945
1945 Blytheville (Arkansas) Courier 24 Jan. 6/2 (heading) ‘Demo’ men use flamethrowers and TNT to rout stubborn foe.
1961 Pop. Sci. Aug. 13 A bungled attempt to destroy it with eight 500-pound demo bombs did nothing but blow the ends off.
1989 M. Norman These Good Men iv. 103 Demo Dan was his nom de guerre—‘demo’, short for demolition, because Frank loved to blow things up.
2005 N.Y. Mag. 7 Feb. 44/1 Pauline apparently did most of the demo and construction work herself—slowly, painstakingly.
2006 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 12 Mar. iv. 9/5 ‘A lot of times we're just driving down the street and see a demo in progress and we'll just go take a look at it,’ he said. Often, ‘demolishing crews don't have any idea that the stuff is valuable’.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
demon.4
/ˈdɛməʊ/, U.S. /ˈdɛmoʊ/ U.S. (chiefly Broadcasting and Advertising).
= demographic n.
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the world > relative properties > number > probability or statistics > [noun] > statistics > study of > demographics > group of people within
cohort1944
demographic1972
demo1980
1980 Back Stage 11 Apr. 63/4 Advertiser interest decreased in all demos except the age group 25–54.
1987 Billboard 12 Sept. 70/3 Falcon sees a ‘natural evolution’ of the VH-1 adult target demo. The 25- to 49-year-old audience had grown away from music purchases.
1995 Wall St. Jrnl. 8 Feb. a9/5 No one is creating books for the MTV generation. ‘Can't we find a guy off the street with weird, twisted ideas that's appealing to our demo?’
2006 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 10 Sept. ii. 72/1 ‘Diddy has a very large demographic—age 15 to 45,’ said..a programming executive... Perhaps his demo is even broader than that.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
demov.
/ˈdɛməʊ/, U.S. /ˈdɛmoʊ/ colloquial (originally U.S.).
1.
a. transitive. To display and explain the merits, operation, etc., of (a product) to prospective buyers; = demonstrate v. 5c.
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society > communication > manifestation > showing to the sight > show to the sight [verb (transitive)] > a new product, statue, etc.
unveil1865
demonstrate1905
demo1969
première1977
1969 Salt Lake Tribune 19 Apr. (advt.) See the new 130 and 165 hp. Chrysler I-O. Demoed at Utah Lake last Sunday.
1984 Computerworld (Nexis) 20 Feb. 35 [At] a trade show..you can make a gigantic splash without actually ‘demoing’ anything. A smart giveaway should generate enough excitement to bedazzle booth attendees.
1999 BBC Top Gear Mag. Aug. 51/2 They recently demoed an electronic tow system that allows two lorries to travel in close convoy.
2006 New Scientist 15 July 26/3 It got rave reviews when it was demoed in May at the E3 computer games expo in Los Angeles.
b. transitive. To use (a demonstration product); to test (a product), esp. when considering the purchase of the item. Cf. demo n.2 2a.
ΚΠ
1982 Ski Sept. 10/2 I was reasonably happy puttering around on a pair of 190's—until I had the chance to demo a pair of 200's early last season.
1991 Hyperlink Mag. Sept. (verso front cover) (advt.) Attending Macworld Expo means..you can see and try the latest Macintosh products... Demo hundreds of hardware.
1996 Plow Snowboarding Mag. Dec. 135/1 The event will give first-time riders a chance to demo boards, boots and clothes from over 70 manufacturers.
2007 N.Y. Mag. 25 June 96/3 For the past two weeks..I've been demo'ing an Ocean. Its design isn't..quite as snazzy as the iPhone's, but it's pretty cool—and maybe more functional.
2. transitive. To record (a song, piece of music, etc.) as a demo (demo n.2 2b, 2c); to make an initial or preliminary recording of (a song).
ΚΠ
1970 Lawton (Okla.) Constit. 2 Aug. 3/2 Demoed, the song then gets pitched around from singer to singer until somebody takes it—if anybody does.
1979 Melody Maker 15 Sept. 3/3 The band..are in the studios preparing a new single... The band have already written and demoed the song.
1998 Scotsman (Nexis) 19 Mar. 16 We wrote a song together which was Trigger Hippie..and once we'd demoed it all the record companies went mad for it.
2004 Keyboard Feb. 48/3 We came up with about 30 songs, and then Steve and Ed went and wrote lyrics while Jim, Tyler, and I stayed and demoed the instrumental tracks.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1adj.1794n.21904
n.31945n.41980v.1969