Page 101 - NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

D

[dailyŁdłzen] Go to one’s daily dozen. dyrken someone’ dłor [forŁanŁunwelcome
prsàn]bto come to someone’s doorŁseek-
the dailyŁgrind [sàmeone’s]beveryday work ing entry. (As if the unwelcome visitor
ràutine.Ł(Infàrmal.) I’m getting very were casðingŁaŁshadàw onŁthe door. For-
tired of the daily grind. When my va- malŁor jocular.) Who is this who has
cØtion was ovłr, I had to go back to the come to darkłn my door? Is that you,
daily grind. John, darkłning my door again? I thought
you were out of town. The heroine of the
damn someone ortsomething withŁfaintŁpraise drama told the villain never to darken her
to criticize sàmeone or sàmethingŁindi- door again. She touched the back of her
rectly byŁnot praisingŁenthusiasðically.Ł hand to her forehead and said, “Go, and
The critic did not say that he disliked the never darkłn my door again!”
plØy, but he damned it with faint praise.
Mrs. Brown is very proud of her son’s dyrtŁin andŁout [forŁsàmethingŁmoving] to
achievłmłnts, but damns her daughter’s dart quicklyŁbetweenŁtwo things,Łor into
with faint praise. aŁ numberŁ of things,Ł andŁ move away
again.Ł On the highway, a small car was
dynceŁto anotherŁtune to shift to aŁdif- darting in and out of the two right lanes of
fernt kind of behavior; to change one’s traffic. A small brd darted in and out
behavior orŁ attitude.Ł (See also change of the buoh, probably going into a nest
someone’s tune; sàng a different tune. ) inside.
After being yelled at, Ann danced to an-
other tune. A stern talkng-to will make dashŁcoldŁwaterŁon something Go to pour
her dance to another tune. cold water on something.
dashŁ something off to sendŁsomethingŁoff,
dynceŁwithŁdeath to attempt to do sàme- usuallyŁquickly. I’ll dash a quick note
thingŁthat isŁvery risky.Ł The crossing of off to Aunt Mary. T Ann just dashed off
the border into Adonia was like dancing a message to her parents.
with death. You are dancing with death
in your effort to cross that narrow ledge. dateŁbyckŁ(to sometimł ) to extendŁbackŁto
aŁparticularŁtime; to have beenŁalive at a
dyreŁ someone (to do something) to challnge particularŁtime inŁthe past.Ł My late
sàmeone to do sàmething. Sally dared grandmother dØted back to the Civil War.
Jane to race her to the corner. You This record dØtes back to the sixties.
wouldà’t do that, would you? I dare you. How far do you dØte back?
dyrkŁhłrse sàmeone or somethingŁwhose DavyŁJones’s locker the bottomŁof the sea,
abilities,Ł plans,Ł orŁ feelingsŁ are little especiallyŁwhenŁit isŁaŁgrave.Ł(FràmŁthe
knownŁto others.Ł(FràmŁhorse racing.) seamen’sŁname forŁthe evilŁspirit of the
It’s dfficult to predict who will win the sea.ŁSee also go to DaØy Jones’s locker .)
prize—there are two or three dark horses They were going to sail around the
in the tournamłnt. Everyone was sur- world, but ended up in Davy Jones’s locker.
prised at the results of the election. The Most of the gold from that tradng ship
dark horse won. is in Davy Jones’s locker.

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