Todd,
  I have been experimenting.  I think it
looks better set to -1em

Looks are one thing, author's intent as to relationships is another.

A dl element contains a multiplicity of pairs of (dt,dd) elements:

  dt  defines a title for the entry
  dd  defines the data that goes with that title.
  dt  another title
  dd  another data
  ...
  dt  another title
  dt  another data

These are defined in the css so that dt is indented 2ems, and dd indented 4 ems. Thus dd is indented 2 ems beneath dt, so they look like
  dt
     dd
  dt
     dd

The reader is encouraged to interpret indentation to mean that an indented part elaborates the part it is under. Agreed?

Now lets consider content, and author's intent.

First, consider the /etc/passwd entry. The dd contains text like other dd elements, followed in this case by a dl having a dt title of "multiple reading of". If the latter is indented as you prefer (-1 em), then I interpret "multiple reading of" to be an elaboration of "file and database lookups...". However, I do not think that was the author's intent.

If I go read the linked chapter, I strongly feel that "multiple reading" is additional elaboration of /etc/passwd, and hence should be indented the same as the text just above it. Indenting -2em accomplishes this.

The double indenting caused by -1em appears to convey the wrong intent in each case I have examined of this type.

On the other hand, take the the entry "4xx responses". It has no text inside the dd, just another dl list. What extra meaning is conveyed by having this list double indented? I don't see any purpose at all. It makes more sense to me to have it single indented to correspond with all other titles. (again, -2m)

Just my opinion.

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