def validate_dtype(termname, dtype, missing_value):
    """
    Validate a `dtype` and `missing_value` passed to Term.__new__.

    Ensures that we know how to represent ``dtype``, and that missing_value
    is specified for types without default missing values.

    Returns
    -------
    validated_dtype, validated_missing_value : np.dtype, any
        The dtype and missing_value to use for the new term.

    Raises
    ------
    DTypeNotSpecified
        When no dtype was passed to the instance, and the class doesn't
        provide a default.
    NotDType
        When either the class or the instance provides a value not
        coercible to a numpy dtype.
    NoDefaultMissingValue
        When dtype requires an explicit missing_value, but
        ``missing_value`` is NotSpecified.
    """
    if dtype is NotSpecified:
        raise DTypeNotSpecified(termname=termname)

    try:
        dtype = dtype_class(dtype)
    except TypeError:
        raise NotDType(dtype=dtype, termname=termname)

    if not can_represent_dtype(dtype):
        raise UnsupportedDType(dtype=dtype, termname=termname)

    if missing_value is NotSpecified:
        missing_value = default_missing_value_for_dtype(dtype)

    try:
        if (dtype == categorical_dtype):
            # This check is necessary because we use object dtype for
            # categoricals, and numpy will allow us to promote numerical
            # values to object even though we don't support them.
            _assert_valid_categorical_missing_value(missing_value)

        # For any other type, we can check if the missing_value is safe by
        # making an array of that value and trying to safely convert it to
        # the desired type.
        # 'same_kind' allows casting between things like float32 and
        # float64, but not str and int.
        array([missing_value]).astype(dtype=dtype, casting='same_kind')
    except TypeError as e:
        raise TypeError(
            "Missing value {value!r} is not a valid choice "
            "for term {termname} with dtype {dtype}.\n\n"
            "Coercion attempt failed with: {error}".format(
                termname=termname,
                value=missing_value,
                dtype=dtype,
                error=e,
            )
        )

    return dtype, missing_value