English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.
Here’s a list of “Idioms Beginning With D” in English:
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Da Man
Meaning: An accomplished or skillful person. Generally used in the compliment
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Dance to Someone’s Tune
Meaning: Consistently follow someone’s directions or influence
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Dance with the Devil
Meaning: Knowingly do something immoral
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Dark Horse
Meaning: A surprise candidate or competitor, especially one who comes from behind to make a strong showing
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Darken Someone’s Door (Step)
Meaning: Make an unwanted visit to someone’s home
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Dead Ahead
Meaning: Directly ahead, either in a literal or a figurative sense
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Dead as the Dodo
Meaning: Completely extinct; totally gone
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Dead Eye
Meaning: A good shooter, a good marksman
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Dead Heat
Meaning: An exact tie in a race or competition
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Dead of Winter
Meaning: The coldest, darkest part of winter
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Dead ringer
Meaning: Very similar in appearance
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Dead Run
Meaning: Running as fast as possible
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Dead Shot
Meaning: A good shooter, a good marksman
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Deep Pockets
Meaning: The new owner has deep pockets, so fans are hoping the football team will improve next year with new players
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Deliver the Goods
Meaning: Provide what is expected
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Devil’s Advocate
Meaning: Someone who argues a point not out of conviction, but in order to air various points of view
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Dirty Look
Meaning: A facial manner that signifies disapproval
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Do 12-Ounce Curls
Meaning: Drink beer
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Dodge a Bullet
Meaning: To narrowly escape disaster
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Doesn’t Amount to a Hill of Beans
Meaning: Is unimportant, is negligible
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Dog Days of the Summer
Meaning: The hottest day of summer
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Dog in the Manger
Meaning: A person who prevents others from using something, even though the person himself or herself does not want it
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Dog-and-Pony Show
Meaning: A flashy presentation, often in a marketing context
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Dog-Eat-Dog
Meaning: Intensely competitive
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Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
Meaning: Don’t be deceived by looks; don’t rely on looks when judging someone or something
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Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk
Meaning: Don’t worry about minor things.
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Don’t Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth
Meaning: Do not question the value of a gift. The expression comes from the practice of determining the age and health of a horse by looking at its teeth.
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Double-Dip
Meaning: Improperly get income from two different sources
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Double-Edged Sword
Meaning: Something that can be helpful or harmful; something beneficial that also has a downside
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Down in the Dumps
Meaning: Depressed, sad
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Down the Road
Meaning: In the future (in your lifetime)
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Drag One’s Feet (or Heels)
Meaning: To do something reluctantly and slowly
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Drag Your Feet
Meaning: Do something very reluctantly; delay doing something
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Drain the Lizard
Meaning: Urinate
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Draw a Blank
Meaning: Be unable to remember something
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Draw a Line in the Sand
Meaning: Issue an ultimatum; specify an absolute limit in a conflict
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Draw a Line Under (Something)
Meaning: To conclude something and move on to something else
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Draw a Long Bow
Meaning: Exaggerate, lie
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Draw the Line
Meaning: To set a limit to what one will accept
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Dressed Up to the Nines
Meaning: Someone is wearing very smart or glamorous clothes
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Drink the Kool-Aid
Meaning: Accept a set of ideas uncritically, often dangerous ones
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Drive a Hard Bargain
Meaning: To arrange a transaction so that it benefits oneself.
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Drive a Hard Bargain
Meaning: To negotiate effectively
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Drive a Wedge Between
Meaning: Try to split factions of a united group by introducing an issue on which they disagree
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Drive Someone Up the Wall
Meaning: Deeply irritate someone
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Drop a Line
Meaning: To write a letter or send an email
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Drop the Ball
Meaning: Fail to fulfill one’s responsibilities; make a mistake
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Dry Run
Meaning: A practice execution of a procedure
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Dutch Courage
Meaning: Alcohol drunk with the intention of working up the nerve to do something
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Dutch Uncle
Meaning: A highly critical person
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Dyed-In-The-Wool (adj.)
Meaning: Consistent in an affiliation or opinion over a long period; inveterate