Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[drop in the bucket] <n. phr.> A relatively small amount; a small part of the whole. * /Our university needs several million dollars for its building renovation project; $50,000 is a mere drop in the bucket./

[drop name] <v. phr.> To impress people by mentioning famous names. * /He likes to pretend he's important by dropping a lot of names./

[drop off] <v.> 1. To take (someone or something) part of the way you are going. * /Joe asked Mrs. Jones to drop him off at the library on her way downtown./ 2. To go to sleep. * /Jimmy was thinking of his birthday party as he dropped off to sleep./ 3. To die. * /The patient dropped off in his sleep./ 4. or [fall off] To become less. * /Business picked up in the stores during December, but dropped off again after Christmas./ Contrast PICK UP(14).

[dropout] <n.> Someone who did not finish school, high school and college primarily. * /Tim is having a hard time getting a better job as he was a high-school dropout./ * /Jack never got his B.A. as he became a college dropout./

[drop out] <v.> To stop attending; quit; stop; leave. * /In the middle of the race, Joe got a blister on his foot and had to drop out./ * /Teenagers who drop out of high school have trouble finding jobs./

[drown one's sorrows] or [drown one's troubles] <v. phr.>, <informal> To drink liquor to try to forget something unhappy. * /When his wife was killed in an auto accident, Mr. Green tried to drown his sorrows in whiskey./ * /When Fred lost his job and had to give up his new car, he tried to drown his troubles at the nearest tavern./

[drown one's troubles] See: DROWN ONE'S SORROWS.

[drown out] <v.> To make so much noise that it is impossible to hear (some other sound). * /The children's shouts drowned out the music./ * /The actor's words were drowned out by applause./

[drum up] <v.> 1. To get by trying or asking again and again; attract or encourage by continued effort. * /The car dealer tried to drum up business by advertising low prices./ 2. To invent. * /I will drum up an excuse for coming to see you next week./ Syn.: MAKE UP(2), THINK UP.

[dry] See: CUT AND DRIED, HIGH AND DRY.

[dry behind the ears] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Experienced; knowing how to do something. Usually used in the negative. * /John had just started working for the company, and was not dry behind the ears yet./ Compare: KNOW ONE'S WAY AROUND. Contrast: WET BEHIND THE EARS.

[dry out] <v. phr.> To cure an alcoholic. * /A longtime alcoholic. Uncle Steve is now in the hospital getting dried out./

[dry up] <v.> 1. To become dry. * /The reservoir dried up during the four-month drought./ 2. To disappear or vanish as if by evaporating. * /The Senator's influence dried up when he was voted out of office./ 3. <slang> To stop talking.
– Often used as a command. * /"Dry up!" Tony said angrily when his friend told him for the third time that he had made a mistake in his theme./ Syn.: SHUT UP(1).

[dual highway] See: DIVIDED HIGHWAY.

[duck] See: DEAD DUCK, KNEE HIGH TO A GRASSHOPPER or KNEE HIGH TO A DUCK, LAME DUCK, LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK.

[duckling] See: UGLY DUCKLING.

[duck out] <v. phr.> To avoid; escape from something by skillful maneuvering. * /Somehow or other Jack always manages to duck out of any hard work./

[duck soup] <n.>, <slang> 1. A task easily accomplished or one that does not require much effort. * /That history test was duck soup./ 2. A person who offers no resistance; a pushover. * /How's the new history teacher?
– He's duck soup./

[duddy] See: FUDDY-DUDDY.

[due] See: GIVE ONE'S DUE, GIVE THE DEVIL HIS DUE, IN DUE COURSE at IN GOOD TIME.

[due to] <prep.> Because of; owing to; by reason of. * /His injury was due to his careless use of the shotgun./ * /Joe's application to the University was not accepted due to his failing English./

[dull] See: ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.

[dumb bunny] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> Any person who is gullible and stupid. * /Jack is a regular dumb bunny./

[dumbwaiter] <n.> A small elevator for carrying food, dishes, etc., from one floor to another in hotels, restaurants, or large homes. * /The banquet was delayed because the dumbwaiter broke down and the food had to be carried upstairs by hand./

[dumps] See: DOWN IN THE DUMPS or DOWN IN THE MOUTH.

[dust] See: BITE THE DUST, KICK UP A FUSS or KICK UP A DUST, WATCH ONE'S DUST, AFTER THE DUST CLEARS/WHEN THE DUST SETTLES.

[dust off] <v.>, <informal> 1. To get ready to use again. * /Four years after he graduated from school, Tom decided to dust off his algebra book./ 2. To throw a baseball pitch close to. * /The pitcher dusted off the other team's best hitter./ Syn.: BRUSH BACK.

[Dutch] See: BEAT ALL or BEAT THE DUTCH, GO DUTCH, IN DUTCH.

[dutch treat] <n.>, <informal> A meal in a restaurant or an outing at the movies, concert, or theater where each party pays his or her own way. * /"I am willing to accept your invitation," Mary said, "but it will have to be Dutch treat."/

[duty] See: DO DUTY FOR, DOUBLE DUTY, HEAVY DUTY, OFF DUTY, ON DUTY.

[duty bound] <adj. phr.> Forced to act by what you believe is right. * /Abraham Lincoln walked miles once to return a few pennies that he had overcharged a woman because he felt duty bound to do it./ * /John felt duty bound to report that he had broken the window./

[duty calls] <n. phr.> One must attend to one's obligations. * /"I'd love to stay and play more poker," Henry said, "but duty calls and I must get back to the office."/

[dwell on] or [dwell upon] <v.> To stay on a subject; not leave something or want to leave; not stop talking or writing about. * /Joe dwelt on his mistake long after the test was over./ * /Our eyes dwelled on the beautiful sunset./ * /The principal dwelled on traffic safety in his talk./ Compare: HARP ON. Contrast: TOUCH ON.

[dyed-in-the-wool] <adj. phr.> Thoroughly committed; inveterate; unchanging. * /He is a died-in-the-wool Conservative Republican./

[dying to] <adj. phr.> Having a great desire to; being extremely eager to. * /Seymour is dying to date Mathilda, but she keeps refusing him./

E

[each and every] <adj. phr.> Every.
– Used for emphasis. * /The captain wants each and every man to be here at eight o'clock./ * /The teacher must learn the name of each and every pupil./ Syn.: EVERY SINGLE.

[each other] or [one another] <pron.> Each one the other; one the other. * /That man and his wife love each other./ * /Bill and Mary gave one another Christmas presents last year./ * /All the children at the party were looking at one another trying to recognize one another in their masks and costumes./ * /The birds fought each other over the bread./

[eager beaver] <n. phr.>, <slang> A person who is always eager to work or do anything extra, perhaps to win the favor of his leader or boss. * /Jack likes his teacher and works hard for her, but his classmates call him an eager beaver./ * /The man who was promoted to be manager was an eager beaver who got to work early and left late and was always offering to do extra work./