Charlie's Sneaker FAQ and Glossary - D

This FAQ and Glossary defines a number of terms used in regards to athletic shoes, Charlie, or sneakers.

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D: When suffixed to an athletic shoe model name: usually indicates detachable cleats.

Daps: A nickname for sneakers (or trainers) in the United Kingdom (particularly Wales).

Dassler: A German family with at least three athletic shoe companies started by family members. Adi Dassler started adidas, while his brother Rudolf started Puma. Later on, a grandson of Adi Dassler (also named Adi Dassler) started the sneaker company A. D. One.

Dassler, Adi (1900-1978): Founder of adidas. Brother of Rudolf Dassler, the founder of Puma. (The sibling rivalry was quite intense in this family!) Grandfather of Adi Dassler, the founder of "A. D. One".

Dassler, Adi II: Grandson of Adi Dassler, founder of adidas. He continued the family name in the sneaker business by founding A. D. One. Adi Dassler II was named after his grandfather "Adolf."

Dassler, Adi (A Paradox): From what I've found, there are at least three different first names that have been ascribed to Adi Dassler, the founder of adidas; "Adi" generally acknowledged to be a nickname. He has been called "Adolf," "Adolph," and "Alfred" by various sources... but adidas states that his name is "Adolf Dassler."

Dassler, Adolf: The name of the founder of adidas.

Dassler, Horst (ca. 1936-1987): Son of adidas founder Adi Dassler, who (with his mother, Käthe) continued running adidas after the death of his father.

Dassler, Rudolf: Founder of Puma. Brother of Adi Dassler, the founder of adidas. Great-uncle of Adi Dassler, founder of A. D. One.

Davis, James S. ("Jim"): Long-time chairman of New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.

Deadstock: A vintage sneaker that has been sold, but is in like-new condition. Compare to New Old Stock.

Deschutes: A county and a river in Oregon (the river goes through the county). The river goes from south of Bend, and empties into the Columbia River near The Dalles. The river probably inspired the Nike Air Deschütz sport sandal.

DECK: Stock ticker symbol of Deckers Brands (makers of Teva sport sandals and other footwear brands).

Deck Shoes: Another name for boat shoes, otherwise known as canvas CVOs.

"Dedicated To Creating Tomorrow's Dreams": A slogan used for, and sometimes printed on, Reebok athletic shoes.

Defective Sneakers: See the entry for "Bad Sneakers" for further information.

Dellinger, William ("Bill"): University of Oregon track coach and co-inventor (with Ronald Stirtz) of the Dellinger Web. See that entry for an example shoe and US Patent 4297796 for more detail.

Dellinger Web: A shock-dispersing webbing wrapped around the midsole of an athletic shoe. Usually seen as a construction detail on adidas shoes. See US Patent 4297796 for more detail.

Deschütz: Alternate spelling of Deschutes (probably how it was originally), with a German umlaut.

Differently Sized Feet: See the entry for "Feet, Differently Sized" for further information.

Direct Injection: A method of bottoming (combining the upper, midsole, and outsole together while assembling an athletic shoe) by injecting an appropriate material. In some cases, this material forms a portion of the midsole or outsole.

Disc System: An athletic shoe lacing system developed by Puma, where the shoe laces tightened by rotating a knob. This feature keeps disappearing and reappearing: gone in 1999, back in 2001, still around in 2017.

DMX: A trademarked athletic shoe cushioning technology used by Reebok.

Dodge Ball (good meaning): A trailer hitch on a RAM truck.

Dodge Ball (horrible meaning): A sadistic activity promulgated by Physical Education teachers who can't think of anything better to do. In Dodge Ball, the agile and the athletic pound future software weenies with nasty red rubber balls that sting like crazy. A number of progressive school districts have prohibited Dodge Ball.

Dodge Ball (software weenie style): Future software weenies play Dodge Ball by immediately making a gentle toss that anyone could catch, thereby going out immediately.

Draulic Technology: A cushioning technology that was used by DaDa Footwear. It resembles Nike Shox but uses different technology.

Dreams: Where I (Charlie) sometimes find sneakers. I had one a while back (June 2000) where I was back in gym class and coach asked, "Do you think your Chucks will be able to keep up in the year 2000?"

Dr. J's: Usually, the shoe associated with Julius Erving is the Converse Pro Leather... but some people have used the name to describe Chucks.

Drug Shoes: A term sometimes used for certain sneaker uses. In the city of Pasadena (a suburb of Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA), the presence of a pair of high-top Chucks hanging from a utility line indicates that drug dealers are active in the area. I heard this term used on KTRK-TV during the evening news.

Drying wet sneakers: Please don't try this at home! Avoid the temptation to roast the wet sneakers over an open fire. That's very hard on them. After cleaning sneakers, take out the shoelaces and set the wet sneakers aside in a well-ventilated location that is away from any high-intensity source of heat. Don't throw them in the dryer... not even Chucks (which can stand an occasional trip through the washing machine) handle that well. Allow natural convection to do its work. It may take a day or two.

Duck: A light-weight fabric, similar in appearance to canvas but lighter, used for sneaker manufacturing.

Duck!: Something that future software weenies sometimes forgot to do at critical times playing (or suffering through) Dodge Ball.

Durabuck: A vegetarian pseudo-leather used by Nike in many styles. The closest Durabuck ever came to leather is when a cow rubbed up against the fence surrounding a Texas oil well.

Duralon: A synthetic rubber composite used by Nike for outsoles.

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Last Updated: 9 February 2017

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READERS PLEASE NOTE: Names of athletic shoe manufacturers, shoe styles, and technologies may be trademarked by the manufacturers. Charlie's Sneaker Pages uses these names solely to describe the shoes with the same familiar nomenclature used by the manufacturer and recognized by the reader.