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Idiom |
Meaning |
|
D |
Dab
hand at something |
If you're a dab hand at something, you're very good at doing it.
"Why don't you call Suzy? She's a dab hand at organizing barbecues." |
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Dance
attendance (on somebody) |
If you dance attendance on someone, you are constantly available
for that person and attend to their wishes.
"She's rich and famous and expects everyone to dance attendance on her." |
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In the dark |
If someone is kept or left in the dark about
something, they are not
informed about it
. "The personnel were kept in the dark about the
merger until the last
minute." |
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Darken
someone's door |
If you darken someone's door, you come as an unwanted or
unwelcome visitor.
"Just get out of here, and never darken my door again!" |
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Call it a day. |
A person who decides to "call it a day"
decides to stop doing finish doing something, generally
because they are tired. |
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Daylight
robbery |
The term 'daylight robbery' is used when the price of something
is
thought to be much too high.
"$10 for an orange juice? That's daylight robbery!" |
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Dead
as a doornail |
This expression is used to stress that a person or thing is
unquestionably
dead.
"They've
started fighting again, so the peace agreement is now dead as
a doornail." |
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Dead
duck |
This expression refers to a project or scheme which has been abandoned
or is certain to fail.
"The new cinema is going to be a dead duck because it's too far away
from
the town centre." |
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Dead loss |
Someone or something described as a dead loss is absolutely
useless or a complete failure. "When it comes to
gardening, my brother is a dead loss." |
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Dead
set against something |
If you are dead set against something, you are strongly
opposed to it.
"My father wanted a dog, but my mother was dead set against the idea." |
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Dead wood |
The term dead
wood refers to people or things which are no longer
considered useful or necessary. "The new manager wants to reduce
costs by cutting out the dead wood." |
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Dead
to the world |
A person who is dead to the world is fast asleep.
"Don't worry. You won't disturb him. He's dead to the
world!" |
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A raw deal |
If you say that someone has got a raw
deal, you think they have been treated
unfairly or badly. |
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Off the deep end |
A person who goes off the deep end
becomes suddenly very angry or
emotional. |
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Deliver
the goods |
If a person delivers the goods, they do what is expected of them
or what they have promised to do.
"Let's hope that new whiz-kid the
boss hired can deliver the goods!" |
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Out of your depth |
If you are out of your depth, it means you are
in a situation which is too difficult for you, or
which you know little about. |
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The
devil is in the details |
This expression refers to a task or a job which appears simple
but is in fact more difficult to accomplish.
"Framing a picture looks easy but the devil is in the details!" |
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The
devil makes work for idle hands |
This expression means that people who do not have enough to do are often tempted to
do something wrong. "It's not good for kids to have
nothing to do at the week-end - the devil makes work
for idle hands!" |
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Speak of the devil! |
This is said to refer to a person who appears
just when his/her name is mentioned. "Speak of the
devil! We were just talking about your invitation!" |
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The die is cast |
To say that the die is cast means that an irrevocable decision
has
been made which will determine the future.
"I've handed in my resignation so now the die is cast!" |
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A different kettle of fish |
To describe a person, thing or situation
as a different kettle of fish
means that it is
completely different from what was previously
mentioned. "You may have good business relations,
but living in the country is a
different kettle of fish." |
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Dig in your
heels |
If you dig in your heels,
you refuse to do something, especially if
someone is trying to convince you to do so.
"My grandfather dug in his heels and refused to move to an apartment." |
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Dig
one's own grave |
A person who digs their own grave does something which causes
their own downfall.
"If you drop out of college now, with such high unemployment, you'll
be
digging your own grave!" |
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Dim
view |
If you take a dim view of something, you dislike or disapprove of
it.
"My previous boss took a dim view of wearing casual wear to work." |
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Wash your dirty linen in public. |
To wash one's dirty linen in public means
to talk about unpleasant personal matters in the presence
of others. |
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Do someone's dirty
work |
To do someone's dirty work means to do the
unpleasant or difficult work that the other person does
not want to do. |
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Disappear into thin air |
If someone or something disappears into thin
air, they vanish in a
mysterious way.
"After being accused of embezzlement, the director disappeared
into thin
air." |
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Do a double take |
Someone who does a double take looks again in surprise at
something unexpected.
"He did a double take when he saw his wife in a restaurant with
another man." |
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Do a disappearing act |
If someone does a disappearing act, they simply
vanish,
especially if they have done something wrong or dishonest.
"Just before the police arrived, the suspect did a
disappearing act." |
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Do
someone a good turn |
If you do someone a good turn, you act in a
helpful way.
"Mike is a great guy - always ready to do a good turn." |
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Dog's
life |
People use this expression when complaining about a situation or job
which they find unpleasant or unsatisfactory.
"It's a dog's life working in the after-sales department." |
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Dog
eat dog |
This expression refers to intense competition and rivalry in pursuit of
one's own interests, with no concern for morality.
"The business world is tough today. There's a general
dog-eat-dog
attitude." |
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A
dog in the manger |
A person referred to as a dog in the
manger is someone who stops others enjoying something he/she
cannot use or doesn't want. |
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Every
dog has its day |
This expression means that
everyone can be successful at something at some time in their life.
"I didn't win this time, but I'll be lucky one day.
Every dog
has its day!" |
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Give a dog a bad name |
People who lose
their reputation have difficulty regaining it because
others continue to blame or suspect them. "Tom was suspected as
usual. Give a dog a bad name!" |
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Go to the dogs |
To say that a company, organization or country is
going to the dogs
means that it is becoming less successful
or efficient than before. "Some think the company will go
to the dogs if it is nationalized." |
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Let sleeping dogs lie |
If you tell somebody to let sleeping dogs lie, you are asking them not
to interfere with a situation because they could cause
problems. |
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Why keep a
dog and bark yourself? |
This
expression means that if someone can do a task for you, there's no reason to do it yourself. "The shuttle stops in front
of our house but my father continues to drive to the
airport. Why keep a dog and bark yourself!" |
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Dog and
pony show |
A dog and pony show is a marketing event or presentation
which has
plenty of style but not much content. |
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In the doghouse |
If you are in the
doghouse, somebody is angry with you because you have
done something wrong. "Mark is in the doghouse because he
damaged his father's car." |
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In the
doldrums |
To say that a person, a business or the economy
in general is in the
doldrums means that the
situation is gloomy and that nothing new is
happening. "Despite the recent measures, the economy remains in the
doldrums." |
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A
done deal |
This expression is used to refer to an agreement or decision which has
been reached on a certain matter.
"We're still considering several proposals, so it's not a done deal
yet." |
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Donkey
work |
This expression is used to describe the unpleasant, boring parts of a
job.
"I do the donkey work - my boss gets the credit!" |
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Beyond a shadow
of a doubt |
This expression is used to express absolute certainty about
something.
"There wasn't a shadow of a doubt
in our minds about Susan's
sincerity." |
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Doubting
Thomas |
A 'doubting Thomas' is as person who will not believe
something
without
proof, or without seeing it for themselves. |
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Down in the dumps |
Someone who is down in the dumps is depressed or feeling gloomy.
"Alex has been down in the dumps since he
failed his exam." |
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Down the drain |
To say
that money, time or effort has gone down the drain, means
that it has been wasted or
lost. "His years of research went down the
drain when the company went
bankrupt." |
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Drag
one's feet |
If you drag your feet, you delay a decision or participate without any
real enthusiasm. "The government is dragging its feet on
measures to reduce pollution." |
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Drastic
times call for drastic measures |
When faced with a difficult situation,
it is sometimes necessary to take
actions which in normal circumstances would
appear extreme.
"After Johnny's third accident, his father confiscated his
car.
Drastic times call for drastic measures!" |
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Draw a blank |
If someone draws a blank, they obtain no response or result in
return
for their efforts.
"I tried to find the name of the donor
but I drew a blank." |
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Draw the line |
If you decide to draw the
line, you decide when an activity or situation
becomes
unacceptable. "When a person's private life is concerned, the
media should know where
to draw the line." |
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Dream
ticket |
If you refer to two people as a dream ticket, you think they
would
work well together and be successful.
"Clinton and Obama teaming up for the general election would be a
dream ticket for many Democrats." |
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Dressed up to
the nines |
To describe someone as dressed up to the nines
means that they are wearing very smart or glamorous
clothes. "Caroline musts be going to a party -
she's dressed up to the nines!" |
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In
dribs and drabs |
If something comes in dribs and drabs, it arrives little by
little, in small
amounts or numbers.
"Instead of the crowd that was expected, people arrived in dribs and drabs." |
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Drink like a fish |
A person who drinks like a
fish is a heavy drinker or one who drinks
a lot. 'I'm nervous if Joe drives when we go out because he drinks like a
fish!" |
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Drive a hard bargain |
A person who drives a hard bargain always
makes sure they gain
advantage in a business deal. "Be
prepared for tough negotiations with Stuart - he drives a bard
bargain." |
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Drive
up the wall |
If somebody or something drives you up the wall, they do
something
that greatly annoys or irritates you.
"I can't concentrate with all the noise - it's driving me up the
wall!" |
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Drop like
flies
|
If people drop like flies, they fall ill or die in large numbers.
"There's an epidemic of flu at the moment. Senior citizens
are dropping
like flies." |
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At the drop of a hat |
If you do something at the drop of a hat, you
do it immediately and
without hesitation "I've
got great friends. They're ready to help out at the drop of a
hat." |
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A drop in the ocean |
To refer to an amount as a drop in the ocean
means that it is very
small compared to the amount needed or
expected. "The revenue from the proposed tax reform is a drop
in the ocean compared to the
deficit." |
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A sitting duck |
A sitting duck is an easy target, a person who is easy to
deceive. "The young girl was a sitting duck
for the photographer." |
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Dull as ditchwater (also : dull as
dishwater)
|
To refer to something as being as dull as ditchwater means that it
is
very boring. "The film was a dull at ditchwater. I
nearly fell asleep." |
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Dumbing down |
If something, such as a television programme or a film production,
is dumbed down, it is deliberately made less intelligent or less
demanding, in order to attract a larger audience.
"Some TV channels are dumbing down their programmes in an attempt
to increase their audience ratings." |
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Hit the dust |
The expression hit the dust is a humorous way of referring to death. |
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The
dust has settled |
To say that the dust has settled means that the situation has become
calmer after a series of unpleasant or chaotic events.
"After her difficult divorce, she waited until the dust had settled
before
making any plans." |
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Go
Dutch |
To go
Dutch with somebody means to share the cost of something
such as a meal or a concert. |
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Above and beyond the
call of duty |
If a person does something which is above
and beyond the call of
duty, they show a
greater degree of courage or effort than is usually
required or expected in their job. "The fire-fighter
received a medal for his action which went above and beyond the call of duty." |
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To be dying for something |
If you are dying for something, you have a strong desire for
it. "I'm dying for a cup of tea!" |