Idiom Definition Index D
Wayne Magnuson: English Idioms

 

Idiom Definition Index D


 
d
The Group of Five/The Regina Five
dad
a chip off the old block
my old man
dad-blamed
blasted
gol dang/gol darn
daily
break a habit
day in, day out
daisies
deep six
damage
lay waste
ratch
wreak havoc
damaged
deadhead
none the worse for wear
damn
bloody well
darn
dingbusted
don't give a crap [B]
four-letter words
friggin
give a damn / give a shit / give a fuck [B]
give a shit [B]
damned
dad-blamed
dance
bump and grind
do a gig
have a blast
it takes two to tango
twinkle toes
wall flower
dancer
twinkle toes
dander
ruffle your feathers
danger
a close call
curiosity killed the cat
for dear life
live on the edge
nerves of steel
on thin ice
out of harm's way
out of the woods
parachute
run the risk
where angels fear to tread
whew
dangerous
it's a jungle out there
not on your life
out on a limb
run the gauntlet
slippery slope
dangerously
play with fire
take chances
daredevil
bodacious
daring
a daredevil
bodacious
dark
hazard a guess
in the hole
in the know
darling
babe
honey
sweetie pie
darn
blasted
consarned
dad-blamed
damn it [B]
damn the luck [B]
darn tooting
dingbusted
fiddlesticks
flipping
friggin
gee whiz
geez
gol dang/gol darn
gosh darn (gol darn)
nuts
oh my gosh
phooey
rats
ruddy
scrut
sheesh
date
break up
chat her up
drop her/him
go out with
go steady
on schedule
on target
play the field
rob the cradle
roll around
see
take out
you're on
dated
passé
dawn
at first light
click in
day
a hard day
a heavy day
a month of Sundays
a new broom sweeps clean
a red-letter day
all the livelong day
an apple a day keeps the doctor away
Black Friday
cash up/cash out
crystal clear
day in, day out
dog days of summer
drag on
drink like a fish
five o'clock shadow
for long
from day one
from the get-go
good afternoon
good morning
grow on you
hangover
how do you do
howdy
in a slump
make my day
pub crawl
put in a hard day
school's out
slow day
take a break
TGIF
that'll be the frosty Friday
the crunch
tide me over
till the cows come home
time off
work my buns off
daydreaming
wake up
daylight
as plain as day
in plain view
plain as day
dazed
glassy eyed
dazzling
razzle-dazzle
dead
a dead heat
a sack of hammers
as slow as molasses in January
dead as a doornail
dead duck
dead even
done in
drop like flies
dust
go to hell [B]
good and dead/mad/sick
on my deathbed
on our last legs
on the button
on the mark
on your deathbed
play dead
positive
pushing up daisies
sleep like a log
sound asleep
spot on
stone dead
the spitting image
tits up [B]
deadline
in time
deaf
fall on deaf ears
hard of hearing
deal
a fair shake
a snow job
big hairy deal
deal me in
face facts
hanky-panky
kiss it off
nail it down
play it up
shady deal
shake on it
strike a bargain
talk turkey
up to something
wheeler-dealer
you're on
dealer
square shooter
dear
fine-feathered friend
goodness gracious
heavens
honey
oh my gosh
shucks
sweetie pie
death
a close shave
at death's door
brush with death
curtains
death row
death wish
if you're born to hang, you won't drown
lose a family member
nine lives
on my deathbed
save your skin/neck
scared stiff
shitting bricks [B]
Sophie's choice
touch and go
deathbed
as sick as a parrot
brush with death
debatable
open to question
debt
cough up
in dire straits
in hock
out of hock
square up
decade
baby boomer
old money
Roaring Twenties
deceit
smoke and mirrors
deceive
a sitting duck
deke you
do a number on
fool you
play a trick on
play games
pull the wool over your eyes
throw a curve
deceived
fall into a trap
sucked in
taken for a ride
taken in
decide
back out
call the shots
flip you for it
hold the purse strings
it's a toss-up
make up your mind
on approval
see fit
set your sights
settle it
soft sell
spin the bottle
The Grim Reaper
think better of it
wishy-washy
decided
in the bag
up in the air
deciding
the balance of power
decision
a freeze on
a tough call
back you
call the shots
change your mind
common sense
cross that bridge when I come to it
go back on
got rocks in your head
have a say
have the final say
hidden agenda
his own man
in the driver's seat
it's up to you
saw sawdust
think better of it
tip the scales
up to you
wear the pants
when the chips are down
decisively
whup your ass
deck
play musical chairs
decorate
deck out
gild the lily
decreasing
on the wane
deduct
write it off
deed
pride goeth before a fall
deep
dead to the world
doo-doo
from the bottom of my heart
go overboard
in deep doo-doo [B]
in hot water
loaded
out of his element
over my head
pushing up daisies
sleep like a log
the pit of my stomach
the way to a man's heart is through his stomach
you can't tell a book by its cover
deeper
dig deep
defeat
beat the pants off
beat up
beat up on
blank
blow them away
blow you away
blow you out of the water
clean up on
cut you to ribbons
eat humble pie
eat you for breakfast
give you a run for your money
hang you out to dry
have you for breakfast
kick butt
killer instinct
lick your wounds
make mincemeat of
out for blood
put you away
shellack
tail between his legs
take a round out of
take him out
take you to the cleaners
turn the tables on
up against
whip you
whup you
whup your ass
wipe you
defeated
done for
down for the count
gotcha (got you)
put to shame
defeating
turn the tables on
defecate
grow a tail
defend
armed to the teeth
take up cudgels
yellow
defendant
on trial
defending
on trial
defenseless
a babe in the woods
defensively
kitty bar the door
deficit
shortfall
defined
cut
definitely
in no uncertain terms
defraud
bilk
defying
bodacious
degree
grill you
haul up on the carpet
on the carpet
pointed questions
to perfection
deke
stickhandle
delay
get to it
hold you up
quick like a bunny
take it in stride
waste no time
delayed
make good time
delete
turf it
weed out
deliberate
a bare-faced lie
take action
deliberately
throw a game
delicious
out of this world
yummy
deliver
drop off
run an errand
deliveries
cash and carry
demanding
heavy duty
hound
take it easy on
democrat
pinko
demolish
make mincemeat of
denmark
something smells
dense
character density
depart
head out
split
take off
departed
flew the coop
long gone
tail lights
departing
on my way
departure
exit stage left
depend
bank on
count on
count your chickens before they hatch
rest on your laurels
ride his coattails
trickle-down economics
dependable
a brick
dependent
messed up
tied to your mother's apron strings
depending
all your eggs in one basket
deposit
up the ante
depressed
blue
cabin fever
down
down in the dumps
hit rock bottom
low
messed up
derived
props
describe
bam
paint a picture
pow
desert
comeuppance
duck out
deserve
ask for it
comeuppance
damn you [B]
deserve credit
got it coming
have it coming
more power to you
no rest for the wicked
serve them right
take that
designed
grunge (fashion)
neat
out of step
shagging wagon
desire
deadbeat
go for
got the hots for
lose your appetite
no use for
the apple of his eye
the grass is greener on the other side of the fence
desk
take your seat
despair
sinking feeling
desperate
last-ditch
destiny
fate is sealed
destroy
blow to kingdom come
kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
wreak havoc
destroyed
go up in smoke
up in smoke
detail
a fine-toothed comb
anal retentive
eagle eyes
fill me in
fly in the ointment
go into detail
in brief
letter-perfect
nitpick
paint a picture
pernickety/persnickety
put the finishing touches on
tie up loose ends
to the nth degree
touch up
detention
cool your heels
determine
get a fix on
pinpoint
shoot-out (sports)
determined
fate is sealed
hang on like grim death
hang tough
hell bent for election
mean business
tough customer
where there's a will, there's a way
develop
come of
show promise
take its course
the makings of
turn out
up and coming
developed
half-baked
developing
in the making
developments
stay abreast
device
a double-edged sword
a fifth wheel
bag of tricks
every trick in the book
loaded
necessity is the mother of invention
sleeper
devil
behind the eight ball
better the devil you know...
damned if you do and damned if you don't
like the wind
wekabi
devil-may-care
footloose and fancy free
diagonally
kitty-corner
dice
no chancy
dick
diddly-squat
dork [B]
dickens
a hell of a time
did
a piece of my mind
all hell broke loose
beg your pardon
broken dreams
come again
did good
did yourself proud
done good
eat humble pie
face up
give you flack
give you static
good on you
how's that again
huh
make a clean breast of it
my eye
no rest for the wicked
pardon me
pay a compliment
pay him back
say what
see you/see your
she peed
sour grapes
straight from the horse's mouth
turn yourself in
what the dickens
what was I thinking of
what's the poop
diddly
fuck all
diddly-squat
bugger all [B]
zilch
die
bite the dust
brush with death
buy the farm
cross over Jordan
cross over to the other side
death wish
die off
go down for the third time
go the way of the dodo
if you're born to hang, you won't drown
it ain't over till it's over
it's a matter of life and death
kick the bucket
lay down your life for
not long for this world
pass away
pass on
slip away
there's no tomorrow
want it so bad I can taste it
wouldn't be caught dead
you can't teach an old dog new tricks
your number is up
died
broken dreams
difference
a fine line
geezer gap
keep them straight
meet you half way
so what
split hairs
split second
split the difference
different
a different kettle of fish
a far cry
a fresh pair of eyes
a horse of a different color
beauty is in the eye of the beholder
beg to differ
change your mind
different strokes for different folks
it's a whole nother world out there
it's a whole other world out there
new blood
off-beat
one and the same
one man's garbage is another man's art
part company
stand out
take on a new light
there are two sides to every story
to each his own
twist your words
worlds apart
difficult
a dickens of a time
a handful
a hard row to hoe
a hell of a time
a tough call
behind the eight ball
between a rock and a hard place
between the devil and the deep blue sea
dirty work
got you cornered
hard to believe
hard to take
have my work cut out
heavy duty
heavy going
in a jam
in a pickle
in a pinch
in a tight spot
in tough
leave you holding the bag
one hell of a time
over the hump
rocky road
rough going
the bitter end
the crunch
the hard way
under fire
uphill battle
when the going gets tough
work cut out for
difficulties
in deep doo-doo [B]
this mortal coil
difficulty
out of the woods
snag
up the creek
dig
dig deep
dig it up
eat up
freeze wages
get in deeper
get my drift
help yourself
pad
digest
Fletcherize your food
dilute
water down
diluted
full strength
diminish
die down
drop off
diminishing
no let-up
on the wane
dimwit
dipstick
numbskull
dingbusted
consarned
dad-blamed
dingle
call up
dink
dick [B]
diplomatic
put the right spin on it
dipstick
ass
dork [B]
dumbo
jerk
lamebrain
numbskull
pinhead
shithead [B]
twit
yoyo
direct
pin down/pin him down
direction
do a 180
I smell where you're stepping
left, right and center
on track
part company
tunnel vision
U-turn
yonder over there
directly
due north
head on
smack dab in the middle
straight from the horse's mouth
straight from the shoulder
directors
too many chiefs and not enough Indians
dirt
a dime a dozen
as clean as a whistle
grunge
dirty
blood money
dirty thirties
dump on
in the gutter
off color
play hardball
rotter
scum/scumbag
short cut
snotty-nosed kid
disabled
three slices short (of a full loaf)
disadvantages
the downside
disagree
beg to differ
disagreed
to a man
disagreement
a falling out
bone of contention
disappear
drop out of sight
disappearing
into thin air
disappoint
let down
disapproval
catcall
put-down
raised eyebrows
roll their eyes
disaster
save your bacon
disbelief
double take
eyes glaze over
freak/freak out
discard
get rid of
leave out
throw out
throw the baby out with the bath water
discipline
a firm hand
in hot water
open up a big can of whoop-ass
scot-free
disciplined
ears pinned back
haul up on the carpet
out of hand
discombobulated
shit or wind my watch
discount
clear out
discourage
throw cold water on
discover
come across
crack this case
expand your horizons
figure out
find out
find your voice
put out feelers
run across
take the pulse
discovered
found out
discuss
a bone to pick
an axe to grind
clear up
hash it over
have a word with you
talk about
talk it over
talk turkey
time out
toss it around
work things out
discussed
straw horse
discussion
the last word
disease
have a case of
have an attack
live on the edge
too far gone
disgust
curl your hair
disgusted
fed up
dishes
put on the dog
dishonest
fly-by-night
disk
backup
motormouth
dislike
cut off your nose to spite your face
familiarity breeds contempt
got it in for
haven't got the stomach for it
motherfucker [B]
one man's garbage is another man's art
so and so
dismiss
can
fire
give you the axe
give you the boot
dismissal
save your skin/neck
dismissed
down the road
get axed
heads will roll
history
disorganized
at loose ends
come undone
harum-scarum
dispatch
put down
display
a hotshot
draw attention to
razzle-dazzle
show-off
showboat
displaying
on parade
dispose
do away with
disrespect
dis/diss
distance
a stone's throw
as the crow flies
at bay
by a country mile
the grass is greener on the other side of the fence
to hell and gone
distant
a faraway look
distinct
dasein
distorted
grunge (music)
distress
mayday (m'aidez)
SOS
district
Cabbagetown
the burbs
toney neighborhood
disturb
raise hell [B]
rock the boat
disturbance
raise Cain
disturbed
discombobulated
ditch
give him the slip
lose him
ditto
back at ya
same to you
dive
throw a game
divide
split the difference
diving
binner
divorce
breakup
dizzy
on queer street
wonky
do
a chip off the old block
a doggy bag
a full plate
a party to that
a piece of cake
a piece of piss
act up
all wet
all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
at ease
back off
back out
bark is worse than his bite
bark up the wrong tree
basta la musica
be there or be square
beauty is only skin deep
beg your pardon
bend over backwards
better than a kick in the ass [B]
big hairy deal
bigger fish to fry
bite your tongue
blow me down
Bob's your uncle
botch it
break a promise
break the record
breathe down my neck
button your lip
by all means
call it square
carry out
carry your weight
cat got your tongue
catch on
catch the wave
catch up on
catch you off guard
choke
clean up your act
come off it
come on
come on strong
come through
cool under pressure
cotton to that
couldn't care less
course you can
cover for me
crawl on my hands and knees over broken glass just to see her photo
cross that bridge when I come to it
cut a wide swath
cut it
cut it out
cut off
cut the mustard
damned if you do and damned if you don't
dance with the one who brought you
dig yourself in
do a dime
do a favor
do the honors
do without
do you follow
do you mind
do your own thing
do your part
do your utmost
do yourself proud
don't borrow trouble
don't count your chickens before they hatch
don't eat that
don't get mad; get even
don't get me wrong
don't get smart with me
don't give a crap [B]
don't give a damn [B]
don't give me any of your lip
don't give me that line/story etc.
don't go away mad; just go away
don't have a cow
don't knock it
don't know him from Adam
don't know the first thing about it
don't know the half of it
don't know whether you're coming or going
don't know which side your bread is buttered on
don't look a gift horse in the mouth
don't make a mountain out of a molehill
don't make me laugh
don't make waves
don't push your luck
don't put all your eggs in one basket
don't rock the boat
don't sweat it
don't teach your grandmother how to suck eggs
don't think so
don't want to go there
down with
draw the line
drop it
drop the ball
duh
duty calls
easy as pie
easy come, easy go
easy time of it
eat out of the palm of your hand
egg me on
even
fall in line
fall short
familiarity breeds contempt
feel free
fill his shoes
fill in for me
fill the bill
fill the gap
first crack at
first off
first up
fish or cut bait
flatliner
follow the rules
follow through
forget it
fresh out
get a grip on yourself
get along
get around to
get at it
get blood from a stone
get busy
get by/scrape by
get caught up
get even
get into trouble
get it over with
get off on
get off your high horse
get off your soap box
get on it
get out
get out of
get out of the road
get out of town
get rid of
get serious
get the hang of
get this show on the road
get to first base
get to it
get your feet wet
get your way
gimme a break
give 110%
give a damn / give a shit / give a fuck [B]
give a little
give a shit [B]
give him a taste of his own medicine
give it a rest
give it a whirl
give it all you've got
give it the once-over
give it to me straight
give it your best shot
go against the grain
go all-out
go along with
go easy on
go jump in the lake
go off the deep end
go one better
go out of your way
go overboard
go places
go to great lengths/ go to any lengths
go with the flow
go without
goof up
got no business
had a bellyful
hang loose
hard done by
haul ass [B]
have a go
have a heart
have a mind to
have it your way
have my work cut out
have to hand it to you
haven't got a hope
haven't got the stomach for it
haven't the foggiest
hear me out
heaven forbid
hidden talent
hit speeds of
hold a candle
hold on
hold your mouth the right way
hold your temper
hold your tongue
how about that
how are you fixed for
how are you getting along
how are you making out
how come
how do you like them apples
how does that grab you
howdy
hurry up
hush up
if you can't cut it, you can't stay
if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
if you're born to hang, you won't drown
if you're not with us you're against us
in the mood
in your bad books
it ain't over till the fat lady sings
it takes two to tango
it's a matter of life and death
it's a snap
it's beyond me
it's now or never
je ne sais quoi
joe-job
jog your memory
jump through hoops
keep a promise
keep a stiff upper lip
keep it down
keep it quiet
keep it to yourself
keep on
keep out
keep quiet
keep the faith
keep up the good work
keep you on track
keep your distance
keep your hair on
keep your head
keep your shirt on
keep your word
kill an elephant
kill for
kill two birds (with one stone)
King Shit on Turd Island
knock it off
know better
know which end is up
kowtow
last me
leave well enough alone
leave you holding the bag
let down
let George do it
let it be
let me have it
let off
let sleeping dogs lie
let the chips fall where they may
let up
lift a finger
lighten up
like it or lump it
look up a dead horse's ass [B]
love is blind
make a point of
make every effort
make good
make me do it
make my day
make out
make the grade
make the most of it
make trouble
make yourself scarce
measure up
mess up
mind over matter
mind your own business
mind your P's and Q's
miss your chance
mum's the word
my eye
never mind
no can do
no offense, but...
no problem (no prob)
no rest for the wicked
no rush
no way
none of your lip
not at all
not long for this world
not to worry
nothing to sneeze at
of course you can
on drugs
on the run
out of circulation
out of sight, out of mind
outdo yourself
over my dead body
over my head
pass up
pave the way
pay him back
pick yourself up
pipe down
plate is full
play a big part
play dumb
play hard to get
play into his hand