Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[dead to the world] <adj. phr.>, <informal> 1. Fast asleep. * /Tim went to bed very late and was still dead to the world at 10 o'clock this morning./ 2. As if dead; unconscious. * /Tom was hit on the head by a baseball and was dead to the world for two hours./

[dead-end] <n.> A street closed at one end; a situation that leads nowhere. * /Jim drove into a dead-end street and had to back out./ * /Mary was in a dead-end job./

[dead-end] <v.> To not continue normally but end in a closure (said of streets). * /Our street dead-ends on the lake./

[deaf] See: TURN A DEAF EAR TO.

[deal] See: GOOD DEAL or GREAT DEAL, NEW DEAL, NO DEAL, THINK A GREAT DEAL OF, WHEEL AND DEAL.

[deal in] <v. phr.> To sell; do business in a certain commodity. * /Herb's firm deals in sporting goods./

[deal with] <v. phr.> 1. To conduct negotiations or business dealings with. * /John refuses to deal with the firm of Brown and Miller./ 2. To handle a problem. * /Ted is a very strong person and dealt with the fact that his wife had left him much better than anyone else I know./

[dealer] See: WHEELER-DEALER at WHEEL AND DEAL.

[dear] See: FOR DEAR LIFE.

[Dear John letter] <n. phr.> A note or a letter informing one that a romantic relationship or a marriage is over. * /Jane left a "Dear John letter" on the table and went home to live with her parents./

[dear me] <interj.> Used to show surprise, fear, or some other strong feeling. * /Dear me! My purse is lost, what shall I do now?/

[death] See: AT DEATH'S DOOR, BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH, CATCH ONE'S DEATH OF or TAKE ONE'S DEATH OF, SIGN ONE'S OWN DEATH WARRANT, TO DEATH.

[death knell] <n.>, <formal> 1. The ringing of a bell at a death or funeral. * /The people mourned at the death knell of their friend./ 2. <literary> Something which shows a future failure. * /Bill's poor grade on his final examination sounded the death knell of his hope to be a doctor./ * /His sudden deafness was the death knell of his hope to become President./

[death on] <adj. phr.>, <informal> 1. Very successful in meeting or dealing with. * /Joe is death on fast balls. He usually knocks them out of the park./ 2. Disliking or strongly against; very strict about. * /The new teacher is death on students who come late to class./ * /The twins' grandmother is death on smoking./

[deck] See: HIT THE DECK, ON DECK.

[decked out] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Dressed in fancy clothes; specially decorated for some festive occasion. * /The school band was decked out in bright red uniforms with brass buttons./ * /Main Street was decked with flags for the Fourth of July./

[declare] See: I DECLARE.

[deep] See: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, GO OFF THE DEEP END, IN DEEP, KNEE-DEEP.

[deep-six] <v.>, <slang> To throw away; dispose of. * /As the police boat came near, the drug smugglers deep-sixed their cargo./ (An expression originally used by sailors, suggesting throwing something into water six fathoms deep.)

[deep water] <n.> Serious trouble or difficulty. * /When Dad tried to take Mom's place for a day, he found himself in deep water./

[defense] See: ZONE DEFENSE.

[defiance] See: IN DEFIANCE OF.

[degree] See: TO A DEGREE, TO THE NTH DEGREE.

[deliver the goods] <v. phr.> 1. To carry things and give them to the person who wants them. * /Lee delivered the goods to the right house./ 2. <slang> To succeed in doing well what is expected. * /The new pitcher delivered the goods by striking out 20 men in his first game./ * /This personal computer surely delivers the goods./ Compare: BRING HOME THE BACON.

[delta wave] <n.>, <informal>, <semi-technical> A brain wave 1-3 cycles per second, associated with very deep sleep. * /Good night, honey, I'm off to produce some delta waves./ Compare: CATCH SOME Z'S, HIT THE HAY or HIT THE SACK.

[demand] See: IN DEMAND.

[Dennis the Menace] <n. phr.> After the notorious television character played by a young boy who always creates trouble for the grownups. Any hyperactive little boy who needs calming down. * /"Your son, Joey, is becoming a regular 'Dennis the Menace'," Jane said to Elvira./

[dent] See: MAKE A DENT IN.

[deposit] See: ON DEPOSIT.

[depth] See: BEYOND ONE'S DEPTH.

[desk clerk] See: ROOM CLERK.

[detective] See: HOUSE DETECTIVE.

[devil] See: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, FULL OF THE OLD NICK or FULL OF THE DEVIL, GIVE THE DEVIL HIS DUE, GO TO THE DEVIL, PLAY THE DEVIL WITH, RAISE THE DEVIL, SPEAK OF THE DEVIL AND HE APPEARS.

[devil-may-care] <adj.> Not caring what happens; unworried. * /Johnny has a devil-may-care feeling about his school work./ * /Alfred was a devil-may-care youth but became more serious as he grew older./

[devil-may-care attitude] <n. phr.> An attitude of no concern for financial or other loss. * /"Easy come, easy go," John said in a devil-may-care attitude when he lost all of his money during a poker game./

[devil of it] or [heck of it] <n. phr.> 1. The worst or most unlucky thing about a trouble or accident; the part that is most regrettable. * /Andy lost his notebook, and the devil of it was that the notebook contained all his homework for the coming week./ * /When I had a flat tire, the devil of it was that my spare tire was flat too./ 2. Fun from doing mischief.
– Used after "for". * /The boys carried away Miss White's front gate just for the devil of it./

[devil to pay] <n. phr.> Great trouble.
– Used after "the". * /There'll be the devil to pay when the teacher finds out who broke the window./ * /When Jim wrecked his father's car, there was the devil to pay./

[dewey-eyed] See: MISTY-EYED.

[diamond in the rough] <n. phr.> A very smart person without a formal education who may have untutored manners. * /Jack never went to school but he is extremely talented; he is a veritable diamond in the rough./

[dibs] See: TO HAVE DIBS ON or TO PUT DIBS ON.

[dice] See: NO DEAL or NO DICE.

[Dick] See: TOM, DICK AND HARRY.

[die] See: CROSS ONE'S HEART or CROSS ONE'S HEART AND HOPE TO DIE, DO-OR-DIE, NEVER SAY DIE.

[die away] or [die down] <v.> To come slowly to an end; grow slowly less or weaker. * /The wind died down./ * /The music died away./ * /He waited until the excitement had died down./ * /His mother's anger died away./

[die in one's boots] or [die with one's boots on] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be killed or hanged rather than die in bed. * /The badmen of the Old West usually died in their boots./ * /The robber said he wanted to die with his boots on./