ENGLISH
REFERENCE

davy

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈdeɪvi// davy

n. a formal promise to tell the truth, usually made in a court of law. It is a short way of saying 'affidavit'.

n. a formal written statement or oath made under legal authority. A colloquial shortening of 'affidavit', primarily used in British legal contexts.


SIMPLE

He had to take his davy that he saw the accident.

CONTEXTUAL

The witness was willing to take his davy on the facts presented before the magistrate.

COMPLEX

In older legal narratives, a character might offer to take their davy as a way of asserting the absolute truth of a claim in a high-stakes situation.

Usage

Commonly used in the idiomatic phrase 'to take one's davy'.

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