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Base language: EN

Letter: d

Total idioms: 9849 - currently selected: 417 (50 per page)

Dead giveaway

Details:
Something that discloses, usually unintentionally, a fact or an intention.

Examples:
That disguise is a dead giveaway! Choose something less obvious.



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Exemple:

Dead heat

Details:
dead heat (plural dead heats)
1. (idiomatic) a close race or contest in which no winner is apparent
? Polls indicated a dead heat for the office of dog catcher.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Dead in the water

Details:

A plan or project that is dead in the water is at a standstill or has ceased to function and is unlikely to be reactivated in the future.
dead in the water (not comparable)
1. (idiomatic, figuratively) Doomed; unable to succeed.



Examples:

Because of the crisis, the planned housing development is now dead in the water.



Origin:

Dead In The Water means an idea or scheme has no momentum and no chance of success. This is a nautical expression, dating back to the days of the sailing ships. On a windless day, with nothing to propel the vessel, a boat sitting motionless in the sea was known as ‘dead in the water’, going nowhere. 
(Red herrings and white elephants - Albert Jack)





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Exemple:

Dead last

Details:
dead last (not comparable)
1. (idiomatic) Finishing in last place in a competition or (in sports) the standings, often by a considerable margin to the next-to-last-place finisher or after an exceptionally poor showing or season.
:: That high school football team was bad, man! They only scored 18 points all year and gave up more than 400 points, and finished at the bottom of every statistical category. Didn't

Examples:




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Exemple:

Dead loss

Details:
Someone described as a dead loss is absolutely useless or a complete failure.

Examples:
When it comes to gardening, my brother is a dead loss.



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Exemple:

Dead man walking

Details:
A dead man walking is someone who will inevitably be in great trouble very soon, especially a person who is about to lose their job or position.

Examples:
Because of the way he handled the recent riots, the minister is a dead man walking.



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Exemple:

Dead men

Details:
dead men
1. Used other than as an idiom: see dead,‎ men.
2. (nautical) The ends of reefs left flapping instead of being tucked out of sight when a sail has been furled.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Dead of night

Details:
dead of night
1. (idiomatic) Middle of the night.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Dead on

Details:
dead on (not comparable)
1. very accurate
? Her Sarah Palin impersonation is dead on!
dead on (not comparable)
1. (idiomatic) exactly at
? The train arrived dead on 2 o'clock.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Dead ringer

Details:
dead ringer (plural dead ringers)
1. (idiomatic) Someone or something that very closely resembles another; someone or something easily mistaken for another.
? He is a dead ringer for his grandfather at that age.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Dead set against

Details:
If you are dead set against something, you are strongly opposed to it.
If you are dead set against something, you are strongly opposed to it.

Examples:
My father wanted a dog, but my mother was dead set against the idea.



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Exemple:

Dead to rights

Details:
dead to rights
1. (US, idiomatic) With sufficient evidence to establish responsibility definitively.
? Because of the video replay, the ref had him dead to rights on the penalty.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Dead tree edition

Details:
dead tree edition (plural dead tree editions)
1. (idiomatic, pejorative, humorous) Paper version of a publication that can be found online.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Dead weight

Details:
dead weight (plural dead weights)
1. (uncountable) unremitting heavy weight that does not move
2. (idiomatic) that which is useless or excess; that which slows something down
? She wants to shed the dead weight of so many stacks of old clutter.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Dead wood

Details:
The term dead wood refers to people or things which are no longer considered useful or necessary.
dead wood (uncountable)
1. Used other than as an idiom: see dead,‎ wood.
2. (uncountable, idiomatic, management) Personnel no longer contributing to an organization.

Examples:
The new manager wants to reduce costs by cutting out the dead wood.



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Exemple:

Deadbeat dad

Details:
deadbeat dad (plural deadbeat dads)
1. (chiefly US and Canada, idiomatic, derogatory) A man, especially one who is divorced or estranged from his partner, who fails to provide monetary child support when he is legally required to do so.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Deadstick landing

Details:
deadstick landing (plural deadstick landings)
1. (idiomatic) When a pilot lands a plane after the engine has died; a landing lacking any propulsion control.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Deaf as a doorpost

Details:
deaf as a doorpost (not comparable)
1. (simile) stone deaf (unable to hear at all)


Examples:




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Exemple:

Deaf as a post

Details:
deaf as a post (not comparable)
1. (simile) stone deaf (unable to hear at all)

Examples:




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Exemple:

Deafening silence

Details:
deafening silence (countable and uncountable, plural deafening silences)
1. (idiomatic) A silence, or a lack of any response, such as due to disapproval or lack of any enthusiasm.
? The suggestion that they work through the holidays met with deafening silence.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Deal breaker

Details:
deal breaker (plural deal breakers)
1. (idiomatic) An issue which causes a relationship (especially in business) to fail.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Death by spellcheck

Details:
death by spellcheck (uncountable)
1. (idiomatic) The problems caused by spellcheckers being incapable of correcting most homophone confusions.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Death knell

Details:
death knell (plural death knells)
1. The tolling of a bell announcing death.
2. (idiomatic, by extension) A sign or omen foretelling the death or destruction of something.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Death spiral

Details:
death spiral (plural death spirals)
1. (aviation) The downward, corkscrew-motion of a disabled aircraft which is unrecoverably headed for a crash.
2. (pairs figure skating) A manoeuvre in which a male skater spins in place while holding one hand of his female skating partner as she circles around him with one skate on the ice and one leg extended outward parallel to the ice surface,

Examples:




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Exemple:

Death warmed up

Details:
death warmed up
1. Used to describe a person who appears pale or sickly.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Debris field

Details:
debris field (plural debris fields)
1. (idiomatic) Any area, non-dependent of locale, space, or contour, that contains the debris of wreckage, impact, sinking, or other material that once constituted a complete object. Debris fields can be found at the site of air crashes, water vessel sinking, explosions of buildings, collapses, and other events that render a whole entity into components,

Examples:




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Exemple:

Decimal dozen

Details:
decimal dozen (plural decimal dozens)
1. (idiomatic) ten, a group of ten

Examples:




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Exemple:

Deck out

Details:
If you deck out someone or something, you dress or decorate them in a special way.

Examples:
Paul decked out his car for the occasion.



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Exemple:

Deep down

Details:
If you talk about how someone is, or feels, deep down, you are describing what they are like or what they really feel deep inside, behind the outward appearance.

Examples:
He appears to be indifferent to his success, but deep down he's very happy.



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Exemple:

Deep end

Details:
deep end (plural deep ends)
1. The part of a swimming pool with relatively deep water
2. (idiomatic) A situation where expertise or experience is required.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Deep pockets

Details:
A person or organization who has a lot of money has deep pockets.

Examples:
Andy's business is not doing well at the moment.  He says he needs a friend with deep pockets!



Detalii:


Exemple:

Deep pockets

Details:
A person or organization who has deep pockets has a lot of money.
deep pockets (normally plural, singular deep pocket)
1. (idiomatic) An ample supply of money, especially money which one is willing to spend; the possessor of such money.


Examples:
Andy's business is not doing well at the moment. He says he needs a friend with deep pockets!



Detalii:


Exemple:

Deep six

Details:
deep six
1. (idiomatic) To discard, cancel, halt; to completely put an end to something.
? They had put many hundreds of hours into the project before it was deep-sixed by management.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Deep sleep

Details:
deep sleep (uncountable)
1. Used other than as an idiom: see deep,‎ sleep.
2. (rare, fiction) Artificially induced hibernation in humans for the purpose of long distance space travel.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Deep thinker

Details:
deep thinker (plural deep thinkers)
1. (idiomatic) A person whose thoughts are profound; an intellectual.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Deep water

Details:
deep water (countable and uncountable, plural deep waters)
1. Waters suitable for deep-draft ships, especially ocean-going.
2. (idiomatic) A difficult or embarrassing situation.
? You will be in deep water if you are found copying from other dictionaries.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Deep-six

Details:
deep-six (third-person singular simple present deep-sixes, present participle deep-sixing, simple past and past participle deep-sixed)
1. (US, idiomatic) to throw something overboard from a ship
2. (US, idiomatic) to get rid of something unwanted
? First, the stark message to “eat less” of a particular food has been deep-sixed. - 28/01/2007, New Yo

Examples:




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Exemple:

Deer in the headlights

Details:
deer in the headlights (uncountable)
1. (idiomatic) A mental state of high arousal caused by anxiety fear, panic, surprise and/or confusion, or substance abuse.
2. (idiomatic) A stunned or glazed expression.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Delhi belly

Details:
Delhi belly (uncountable)
1. (idiomatic) Digestive illness or diarrhoea, especially if suffered by a visitor to India.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Deliver the goods

Details:
If a person delivers the goods, they do what is expected of them or what they have promised to.

Examples:
Let's hope that new whiz-kid the boss hired can deliver the goods!



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Exemple:

Deliver the message to garcia

Details:
deliver the message to Garcia (third-person singular simple present delivers the message to Garcia, present participle delivering the message to Garcia, simple past and past participle delivered the message to Garcia)
1. (intransitive) Alternative form of carry the message to Garcia.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Den of iniquity

Details:
den of iniquity (plural dens of iniquity)
1. (idiomatic) A place of immoral behavior, usually of a sexual type.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Desk jockey

Details:
desk jockey (plural desk jockeys)
1. (idiomatic) One who spends his or her time seated at a desk; especially one who is more concerned with procedure, paperwork, or administration than with its ultimate goal or practical consequence.
? The production manager was annoyed because some desk jockey in the main office reassigned her staff without even consulting her.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Devil is in the details

Details:
(the) devil is in the details
1. (idiomatic) The specific provisions of, or particular steps for implementing, a general plan, policy, or contract may be complicated, controversial, or unworkable.


Examples:




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Exemple:

Devil to pay

Details:
This is a way of announcing that there will be trouble if something happens.

Examples:
Be careful. There'll be the devil to pay if you break anything!



Detalii:


Exemple:

Devil's advocate

Details:
During a discussion or debate, if you play devil's advocate, you pretend to be against an idea or plan in order to determine the validity of the arguments in favour of it.
One who debates from a view which he or she may not actually hold, usually to determine its validity or simply for the sake of argument.
(Roman Catholic Church) A canon lawyer appointed by the Church to argue against the canonization of the proposed candidate.

Examples:
She decided to play devil's advocate just to see how strongly people felt about the project.



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Exemple:

Devil's luck

Details:
devil’s luck (uncountable)
1. (idiomatic) astounding good luck.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Dial it back

Details:
If you dial it back, you reduce the intensity of something, or tone it down.

Examples:
When Lucas started getting all excited, his mother said : Hey Lucas, dial it back a bit!



Detalii:


Exemple:

Diamond in the rough

Details:
diamond in the rough (plural diamonds in the rough)
1. An uncut diamond.
2. (idiomatic) A person whose goodness or other positive qualities are hidden by a harsh or unremarkable surface appearance.
? The auto mechanic is a diamond in the rough, tough-talking, but honest, even generous.

Examples:




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Exemple:

Diamond ring

Details:
diamond ring (plural diamond rings)
1. Used other than as an idiom: see diamond,‎ ring.
2. (astronomy) An optical phenomenon visible during a moment of a solar eclipse when only a tiny part of the sun is not obscured by the moon, shining like a diamond in the ring of the sun’s corona.

Examples:




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