IDIOMS 6

Died in harness

Died while working // to die while in service

Dig around

Investigating

Dig up dirt on someone

Discover damaging information about someone

Do a good turn

To help someone // Render a service

Do a roaring trade

Highly successful

Do away with

To abolish

Do or die

To make a final effort

Dodge a bullet

To narrowly avoid situation

Dog eat dog

Ruthlessly competitive

Dog in a manger

Selfish

Don’t (or never) judge a book by its cover

We should not judge something primarily by its outward appearance

Done for

Ruined

Donkey’s years

A very long time

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

Don’t make plans based on events that have not yet happened

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Don’t put all your resources in one place

Dot one’s i’s and cross one’s t’s

Be detailed and exact // To pay attention to minute details of a task

Down and out

Without money

Down in the dumps

Sad and depressed

Down in the mouth

To be depressed

Down the drain

Wasted or lost

Down the tubes

Failing completely

Down to earth

Very realistic and sensible // Practical and direct

Draconian law

Extremely severe law

Drag one’s feet

Be reluctant to act // Do something deliberately at a slow pace

Draw a blank

To be unsuccessful // find no favour

Draw a line

To fix a limit // Accept something up to a particular point // To stop before a point where something okay gets not okay

Draw first blood

Be the first to gain an advantage or score against an opponent

Dressed to kill

Dressed to attract attention

Dressing

down

Drew on his fancy

Used his imagination

Drive home

Emphasise // to emphasize an important point

Drive someone up the wall

Make someone very irritated or angry

Drop in

Pay a casual visit

Drop names

Name famous people to impress others // Hinting at high connections

Dropping like flies

Collapsing in large numbers // A large number of people either falling ill or dying

Dust and ashes

Something that is very disappointing

Eager beaver

A keen and enthusiastic person

Eagle eye

An eye with sharp visual powers // A careful or shrewd observer

Ease somebody’s mind

Alleviate someone’s anxiety

Easier said than done

Is more easily talked about than put into practice // Not as easy as it appears

Easy money

Make money without much effort, maybe illegally

Eat anyone’s salt

To be one’s guest

Eats like a horse

Eats a lot of food

Egg on

Encourage // provoke // urge

Elbow grease

A lot of physical effort

Elbow room

Freedom to do what one wants // To give enough space to move or work in

Ended in a fiasco

A complete failure

Enough rope

Enough freedom for action

Evening of life

Old age

Every cloud has a silver lining

Every unpleasant situation has a positive side // Something promising is there in any difficult situation

Every dog has his day

Everyone has good luck or success at a point of time in their lives

Every inch a gentleman

Completely gentleman

Evil twin

An imaginary double humorously invoked to explain or excuse uncharacteristic or reprehensible behaviour

Excuse my French

Used to apologize for swearing

Explore all avenues

Try out every possibility to get a result

Eye wash

A deception // A pretence

Face the music

To accept punishment for mistake // Get reprimanded // to bear the consequences // Accept the blame

Face to face

With another person in their presence rather than, say, by phone or letter

Face up to

To accept a difficult situation

Faint hearted

Timid

Fair weather friends

Friends in good times // supports only when easy and convenient

Fair’s fair

Just treatment

Fall back on

Resort to something // to seek support of necessity

Fall flat

To fail to produce intended effect // To have no effect // Unsuccessful

Fall for

To be tricked or fooled by

Fall for/fall out

Quarrelling with

Fall into line

Adhere to rules

Fall short

To not reach a particular level // Had no effect

Falling head over heels

Falling deeply in love with someone

Fallout

To quarrel // Stop being friendly after an argument

Familiarity breeds contempt

The better you know someone the less you like him

Far cry from

To be very different from others

Feast one’s eyes on

Gaze at something with pleasure

Feather in one’s cap

A new and additional distinction // an accomplishment to be proud of

Feather one’s own nest

Make money in an improper way // to profit in a dishonest way // promote their own interest

Fed up

Annoyed

Feel blue

Gloomy

Feel his pulse

Find his views