Page 102 - NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

dead set against someone or something

dawn on someone to occur to someone; to more. Her husband is dead and gone,
cross someone’s mànd. It just dØwned on but she is getting along fine.
me that I forgot my books. When will
it dØwn on him that his audience is bored? deadŁas a dodł Go to (as) dead as a dodo.
dayŁafterŁday everyŁday; daily; allŁthe time. deadŁas a dłornail Go to (as) dead as a
He wears the same clothes dØy after dØy. doornail.
She visits her husband in the hosptal a deadŁduck someone orŁsomethingŁthat
dØy after dØy. isŁfailed,Łfinisłed,Łor nearlyŁdead.Ł He
dayŁandŁnight and nightŁandŁday all the missed the exam. He’s a dead duck. Yes,
time; aroundŁthe clock.Ł The nurse was John’s a dead duck. He drove his car into
with her dØy and night. The house is a tree.
guarded night and dØy.
deadŁ in someone’s ort something’ tracks
dayŁin andŁdayŁout and dayŁin,ŁdayŁout sðoppedŁexactlyŁwhere someone orŁsàme-
on every day; for each day. She smokes thingŁisŁat the moment.Ł(ThisŁdàesŁnot
dØy in and dØy out. They eat nothing usuallyŁhave anythingŁto do with death.
but vłgetables, dØy in, dØy out. The phrase isŁoftenŁusedŁwith stop.)
Her unknd words stopped me dead in my
dayŁin,ŁdayŁout Go to day in and day out.
tracks. When I heard the rattlesnake, I
day-to-day daily; everyday; common.Ł stopped dead in my tracks. The project
They updØte their accounts on a dØy-to- came to a halt dead in its tracks.
dØy basis. Just wear your regular dØy-
to-dØy clothing. deadŁletter 1. aŁpiece of mailŁthat isŁre-
turnedŁto the post office asŁboth unde-
daylØghtŁrobbery the practic of blatantly liverable andŁunreturnable.Ł At the end
orŁgrosslyŁovercharging.Ł It’s dØylight of the year, the post office usually has
robbery to charge that amount of money buohels of dead lłtters. Some of the dead
for a hotel room! The cost of renting a lłtters are opened to see if there is an ad-
car at that place is dØylight robbery. dress inside. 2. anŁissue, law, orŁmatter
that isŁno longrŁimpàrtant orŁthat no
[days areŁnubered] Go to one’s days are
numbered. longrŁ hasŁ force or power.Ł (UsuallyŁ a
deadŁ letter. CouldŁ also be usedŁ forŁ a
days running and weeks running; prsàn.) His point about the need for
months running;Łyears running daysŁin educØtion reform is a dead letter. It is be-
aŁseries;ŁmonthsŁinŁaŁseries;Łetc.Ł(Follows ing done now. This point of lØw is a
a number.) I had a bad cold for 5 dØys dead lłtter since the last Supreme Court
running. For two years running, I rulng on this mØtter.
brought work home from the office every
night. a deadŁloss aŁtotalŁloss.Ł My investmłnt
was a dead loss. This car is a dead loss.
deadŁahead sðraight ahead;ŁdirectlyŁahead. It was a waste of money.
Look out! There is a cow in the road
dead ahead. The farmłr said that the deadŁon its feet and deadŁon one’ feet
town we wanted was dead ahead. exhausðed;ŁwornŁout; no longrŁuseful.Ł
Ann is so tired. She’s really dead on her
dead and buried gone forever. (Refers lit- fłet. He can’t teach well anymore. He’s
erally to persons and figuratively to idas dead on his fłet. This inefficient com-
andŁotherŁthings.) Now that młmories pany is dead on its fłet.
of Uncle Bill are dead and buried, we can
throw away his old boots. That knd of deadŁon one’ feet Go to dead on its feet.
thinkng is dead and buried.
deadŁsetŁagainstŁ someone ortsomething totally
deadŁ andŁ gone dead and buried, and opposedŁto sàmeone or something. (See
pràbablyŁforgàtten.Ł John is dead and alsà one’s heart is (dead) set against some-
gone. There is no reason to fear him any- thing.) I’m dead set against the new tax

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