English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List of Idioms - D,
from: 'dab hand'
to: 'dead in the water'
- 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 planning parties."
- If you're a dab hand at something, you're very good at doing it.
- put a damper on (something)
- If someone or something puts a damper on a situation or event, they make it less successful or enjoyable.
"The party was going great until the neighbour's complaints put a damper on it."
- If someone or something puts a damper on a situation or event, they make it less successful or enjoyable.
- dance attendance
- If you dance attendance on somebody, 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.
- If you dance attendance on somebody, you are constantly available for that person and attend to their wishes.
- dance to someone's tune
- If you dance to someone's tune, you do whatever that person tells you to do.
"He is the company's major shareholder so the management has to dance to his tune."
- If you dance to someone's tune, you do whatever that person tells you to do.
- dark horse
- If you refer to someone as a dark horse you mean that they are secretive, or that little is known about them, so you don’t know how they will react or perform.
"I can't tell you anything about my neighbour's intentions. He's a bit of a dark horse."
- If you refer to someone as a dark horse you mean that they are secretive, or that little is known about them, so you don’t know how they will react or perform.
- in the dark
- If someone is kept or left in the dark about something, they are not informed about it.
"The personnel was kept in the darkabout the merger until the last minute."
- If someone is kept or left in the dark about something, they are not informed about it.
- darken someone's door
- If you darken somebody's door, you come as an unwanted or unwelcome visitor.
"Just get out of here and never darken my door again!"
- If you darken somebody's door, you come as an unwanted or unwelcome visitor.
- day in the sun
- When you have your day in the sun, you get long-awaited attention or some form of well-deserved appreciation.
"Dave finally got his day in the sun when an article was published about his research."
- When you have your day in the sun, you get long-awaited attention or some form of well-deserved appreciation.
- day in, day out
- If you do something ‘day in, day out’, you do it every day without fail over a long period of time.
"My father goes for a 30-minute walk after breakfast day in, day out. He never changes his routine."
- If you do something ‘day in, day out’, you do it every day without fail over a long period of time.
- call it a day
- To say 'let's call it a day' is a way of suggesting that it is time to stop doing something for the rest of that day, whether or not
the work or activity has been completed, usually because of tiredness.
"After one last phone call, I decided to call it a day."
- To say 'let's call it a day' is a way of suggesting that it is time to stop doing something for the rest of that day, whether or not
the work or activity has been completed, usually because of tiredness.
- (a) day late and a dollar short
- If something is a day late and a dollar short, it comes too late and is not good enough.
"They offered me an internship when I had already found a job - a day late and a dollar short!"
- If something is a day late and a dollar short, it comes too late and is not good enough.
- 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!"
- The term 'daylight robbery' is used when the price of something is thought to be much too high.
- dead as a dodo
- To say that something is (as) dead as a dodo means that it is unquestionably dead or obsolete, or has gone out of fashion.
(A dodo is a bird that is now extinct.)
"The floppy disk is an invention that is now (as) dead as a dodo."
- To say that something is (as) dead as a dodo means that it is unquestionably dead or obsolete, or has gone out of fashion.
- dead as a doornail
- This expression is used to stress that something or someone is very definitely dead.
"They've started fighting again, so the peace agreement is now as dead as a doornail."
- This expression is used to stress that something or someone is very definitely dead.
- dead cert
- Something that is certain to happen or be achieved is a dead cert.
"After such praise, his appointment as captain of the team is a dead cert."
- Something that is certain to happen or be achieved is a dead cert.
- dead duck
- This expression refers to a project or scheme which has been abandoned or is certain to fail.
"The project for the new cinema is going to be a dead duckbecause the location is too far away from the town centre."
- This expression refers to a project or scheme which has been abandoned or is certain to fail.
- dead in the water
- A plan or project that is dead in the water is at a standstill or has ceased to function and is unlikely to be reactivated in the future.
"Because of the crisis, the planned housing development is now dead in the water."
- A plan or project that is dead in the water is at a standstill or has ceased to function and is unlikely to be reactivated in the future.
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alphabetical lists D ...
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