D Idioms
Idioms Index | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
dance to a different tune
- talk or act differently (usually better) because things have changed
He has begun dancing to a different tune now that he knows that his head salesman is thinking of quitting.dark horse
- a candidate little known to the general public
At first he was a dark horse candidate but he later won the election.dash off
- do or finish quickly, leave quickly
I will dash off a letter now but then I must go to work.dawn on
- become clear
It finally dawned on me as to why he was angry.day and night
- continually
We worked day and night to finish the project before the end of the month.day in and day out
- regularly, all the time
He goes to that restaurant day in and day out and never gets tired of it.dead ahead
- exactly in front, before
There was a truck dead ahead so we put on the car brakes suddenly.dead as a doornail
- very dead
The man was dead as a doornail as we could see after the accident.deadbeat
- a person who never pays his debts
There is a policy to penalize deadbeat fathers by the local government.dead center
- exact middle
He was able to hit the target dead center.dead duck
- person or thing in a hopeless situation or condition
He is a dead duck and has no hope of recovering his former position.dead end
- the closed end of a road or an impasse
The negotiations between the team and the owners have come to a dead end.deadpan
- with an expressionless or emotionless face
He had a deadpan expression when he told us the story.dead set against something
- determined not to do something
They are dead set against their son going to Europe for a year.dead tired
- very tired, exhausted
I was dead tired so I went to bed as soon as I got home.dead to the world
- fast asleep
The little boy was dead to the world when his father took him out of the car.decked out
- dressed in fancy clothes
She was all decked out in her best clothes for the party.deep-six
- throw away, dispose of
I decided to deep-six the videos as I didn't want them any longer.deep water
- serious trouble or difficulty
He will be in deep water if he doesn't tell us where he spent the money.deliver the goods
- succeed in doing what is expected well
He is the best manager that we have ever had. He knows how to deliver the goods.devil-may-care
- unworried, not caring what happens
He has a devil-may-care attitude to his job and nothing ever bothers him.die down
- come slowly to an end, grow weaker
When the sound of the music finally died down we were able to get to sleep.die off
- die one after another until the number is small
The house plants began to die off as soon as he moved to a new apartment.die out
- die or disappear slowly until all gone
Dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.dig in
- begin eating
Let's dig in and eat before everything is cold!dime a dozen
- common, easy to get and of little value
Used books are a dime a dozen so don't worry if you can't sell them.dirty look
- a look that shows dislike or disapproval
His mother gave him a dirty look when he smoked the cigarette.dish out
- serve food from a large bowl or plate
He began to dish out the food as soon as the guests arrived.dish out
- treat or criticize roughly
He likes to dish out criticism to others but he doesn't like to hear criticism about himself.do a double take
- look again in surprise at someone or something
She did a double take when she saw her old boyfriend with another woman.do a job on
- do harm to, make ugly or useless
He really did a job on the plans for the new house that he was working on.do away with
- put an end to, stop, get rid of
The company has decided to do away with having fixed holidays every year.dog-eat-dog
- ready or willing to fight and hurt others to get what you want
It is a dog-eat-dog world out in the world of advertising and public relations.do in
- to ruin, destroy
He quickly did in the new shoes that he received for his birthday.do in
- to make tired, exhaust
He was really done in by the time that he finished the marathon.doll up
- dress in fancy clothes
She was all dolled up for the party at the downtown hotel.done for
- ruined, defeated, dying
I think that the team is done for as far as this season is concerned.done with
- be finished using something
He was finally done with the computer and so he let his sister use it.do one's best
- try to do something as well as you can
I tried to do my best on the exam.do one's bit (part)
- share in a group project by contributing one's time and effort
He did his bit for the planning of the party.do one's thing
- do what one wants to do and enjoys
He is an individualist and enjoys doing his thing when and where he chooses.do-or-die
- make a great effort while disregarding danger
He was in a position of do-or-die when he finally found another job.do out of
- cause to lose by trickery or cheating
He was worried that the company would do him out of the large bonus that he was expecting.do someone good
- be good or beneficial for someone
It will do you good to go on a holiday.do something rash
- take drastic action (usually without thinking)
She is extremely angry so I hope that she doesn't do anything rash.do the honors
- perform the duty of a host (when serving a drink etc.)
Would you like to do the honors and pour everyone a glass of wine?do the trick
- work well, achieve a good result
I think the new piece of equipment should do the trick and solve the problem.do time
- spend time in prison
He was doing time when I first heard about him.do with
- benefit from
I have been working hard all day so now I could do with a cold drink.do with
- be acquainted, involved or associated with
I don't have anything to do with the party this year.do without
- manage without something
If there is no sugar, we'll have to do without.double back
- turn back from where you are going or have been
We decided to double back from the arena to get some money to go to a movie.double-check
- check again to be sure something is correct
He double-checked the price of the airplane ticket.double-cross
- deceive, promise one thing and do another
He tried to double-cross his partner but was caught and sent to jail.double-talk
- talk that appears to have meaning but does not
He gave the audience a lot of double-talk so nobody knew what he wanted to say.double up
- share a room or home with someone
The passengers had to double up in hotel rooms when the plane was delayed because of the weather.down and out
- have no money
He has been down and out before but he has always been able to find a job eventually.down in the dumps
- unhappy
She has been really down in the dumps since her boyfriend moved away.down on (someone)
- be critical of someone, angry at
She is really down on her friend but I don't really know the reason.down one's alley
- suited to one's tastes and abilities
Computers are down his alley so I am sure that he will be interested in taking the job.down the line
- straight ahead, in future
There will be many changes at this company down the line but for now your job is safe.down the drain
- wasted or lost
He is just throwing money down the drain when he goes to the horse races.down-to-earth
- sensible and practical
Her mother is a very down-to-earth person.down to the wire
- nearing a deadline, running out of time
We went right down to the wire but we were able to finish the job on time.do wonders
- produce excellent results
If you begin to do some exercise it will do wonders for your health.drag in
- insist on bringing another subject into a discussion
He always drags in his personal problems when we are talking about his performance on the job.drag on
- pass very slowly, make longer
The speech seemed to drag on and on so finally we decided to leave early.drag one's feet/heels
- act slowly or reluctantly
He has been dragging his feet about whether or not to take the job.draw a blank
- obtain nothing in return for an effort made, get a negative result
He drew a blank when he went to the head office to try and receive some information about the merger.draw fire
- receive criticism or argument
He has been drawing a lot of fire since he announced that he would not play basketball another year.draw fire
- be a target, attract or provoke shooting
The soldiers drew fire when they entered the small village.draw in one's horns
- spend less money
Their company is not doing well so they will have to draw in their horns for awhile.draw (someone) out
- make a person talk or tell something
She was very quiet but we finally were able to draw her out so that she would join the party.draw the line
- set a limit
We have to draw the line somewhere in regards to the costs of the party.draw up
- put in writing
They were able to draw up the new contract while we were waiting.dressed to kill
- wear one's finest clothes
She was dressed to kill when I saw her at the concert last week.dressed to the nines (teeth)
- dressed elegantly
The stars were all dressed to the nines during the Academy Awards ceremony.dress up
- put on one's best clothes
He decided to dress up for dinner at the restaurant.drive a hard bargain
- conclude a bargain without making any concessions
Although he drives a hard bargain I like doing business with him.drive at
- try or want to say something
I don't know what he was driving at in his speech.drive someone up a wall
- irritate or annoy someone greatly
His constant complaining is driving me up a wall.drop a hint
- casually utter a hint or suggestion
He dropped a hint that he wanted to transfer to a new department.drop (someone) a line
- write or mail a note or letter to someone
She promised that she would drop me a line when she gets to Singapore.drop back
- move or step backwards, retreat
During the hike his foot began to get sore so he decided to drop back and rest for awhile.drop by
- to visit someone or somewhere
He dropped by after work for a drink.drop by the wayside
- give up or fail before the finish
Many runners dropped by the wayside as the marathon continued.Drop dead!
- go away and be quiet, stop bothering someone
I told him to drop dead when he came into my room and now he is angry at me.drop in
- make a short or unplanned visit
I decided to drop in and visit my friend after I finished work for the day.drop in the bucket
- small amount
The money he paid back was only a drop in the bucket compared to what he owes.drop out (of school)
- quit school or a course of some kind
She dropped out of the class after three months.drown one's sorrows
- drink alcohol to forget one's problems
He's in the bar drowning his sorrows with a beer.drown out
- make so much noise that it is impossible to hear
The team captain was drowned out by the cheering fans.drum up
- invent, encourage by making an effort
They were able to drum up a lot of business during the summer.duck soup
- easy, effortless
How was the test last week? It was duck soup - no problem at all.dumb bunny
- a stupid gullible person
He is a dumb bunny and you never know what he will do next.Dutch treat
- meal/movie etc. where each person pays their own way, contribute equally to something
When he goes out with his girlfriend it is always a Dutch treat as he doesn't have much money.dwell on
- think about or talk about something all the time
I wish he wouldn't always dwell on his personal problems.
