Page 104 - NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

dig some dirt up on someone

mond in the rough. SomedØy it will bł broken hearts. Please don’t leave me. I
valuØble. know I’ll die of a brokłn heart.
dieŁa naturylŁdeath 1. [forŁsomeone]bto dieŁofŁbłredłm to suffer from boredom;
die byŁdisease orŁoldŁage ratherŁthanŁby to be very bored.Ł No one has ever really
violence orŁfoulŁplay.Ł I hope to lve to died of boredom. We sat there and lis-
100 and die a natural death. The po- tened poltely, even though we almost died
lice say she didà’t die a natural death, and of borłdom.
they are investigating. 2. [forŁsàmething] dieŁ on someone 1. [forŁ someone]b to die
to fade awayŁorŁdie down.Ł I expect that while inŁsomeone’sŁcare.Ł The ambu-
all this excitement about computers will lance driver didà’t want his pØtient to die
die a natural death. Most fads die a nat- on him. “Come on, don’t die on mł!”
ural death. cried the emergency room doctor. 2. [for
dieŁin one’ błots and dØe withŁ one’ błots something, such asŁaŁcarŁengine]bto sðop
on to go dàwnŁfighting;Łto die inŁsome runningŁwhile one isŁusingŁit.Ł My car
fashionŁotherŁthanŁinŁbed;Łto die fighting. just died on me. His computer kłeps dy-
(AŁcliché pàpularizedŁbyŁwesðernŁmovies. ing oà him.
The villainsŁ of these moviesŁ said they dieŁon theŁvine Go to wither on the vine.
prferrd dath by gunshot or hanging to
dying in bed. Se also go down fighting.) dØe with one’ błots on Go to dàe in one’s
I woà’t lłt him głt me. I’ll die in my boots.
boots. He mØy give me a hard time, but differentŁas nightŁandŁday Go to (as) dif-
I won’t be overcome. I’ll fight him and die ferent as nàght and day.
with my boots on.
digŁin 1. to eat a meal;Łto beginŁeating a
The dØeŁis cast. some processŁisŁpast the meal.Ł(Infàrmal.ŁSee also Come and get
poànt of no return. (This die is one of a it!) Dinner’s ready, Tom. Sit down and
pairŁof dice.ŁThisŁ cast mans “thrown.”) dig in. The cowboy helped himself to
After that spłech favoring reform of the some beans and dug in. 2. to apply one-
educØtion system, the die is cast. This is self to aŁtask;Łto tackle (sàmething)bvig-
now a campaign issue. The die is cast. orously. Sally looked at the big job
There is no turning back on this point. ahead of her. Then she rolled up her slłeves
and dug in. “Tom,” hollered Mrs. Smith,
dieŁlaughing 1. to meet one’sŁdeath laugh- “you get to that pile of homłwork and dig
ing—inŁgàod spirits,Łrevenge, orŁiràny.Ł in this very mnute.”
Sally is such an optimist that ohe’ll proba-
bly die laughing. Bob tried to poison his dØgŁ one’ heels in to refuse to alter one’s
rich aunt, who then died laughing because course of actionŁor opinions;Łto be ob-
she had takłn Bob out of her will. 2. to sðinate or determined.Ł The studłnt dug
laugh veryŁlongŁandŁhard.Ł(Infàrmal.) her heels in and refused to obey the in-
The joke was so funny that I almost died structions. I’m digging n my heels. I’m
laughing. The plØy was meant to be not going back.
funny, but the audience didà’t exactly die dØgŁ one’ own grave to be respànsible for
laughing. one’s own dàwnfall or ruin.Ł The man-
ager tried to get rid of his assistant, but he
dieŁofŁa broken heyrt 1. to die of emo- dug his own grave. He got fired himself for
tionalŁdisðress.Ł I was not surprised to trying. The commttee has dug its own
hear of her death. They say she died of a grave with the new tax bill.
broken heart. In the movie, the heroine
appeared to die of a broken heart, but the dØgŁsome dirtŁup on someone to find out
audience knew she was poisoned. 2. to suf- sàmethingŁbadŁabout someone.Ł(Infàr-
ferŁ fromŁ emotionalŁ disðress,Ł especially mal.)b If you doà’t stop trying to dig
from a failedŁromance.Ł Tom and Mary some drt up on me, I’ll get a lØwyer and
broke off their romance and both died of sue you. T The citizns’ group dug up

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