Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 141 do with (something) - to benefit from (something) I have been working hard all day so now I could do with a cold drink. do without (something) - to manage without something We will have to do without sugar if there is none. do wonders - to produce excellent results If you begin to do some exercise it will do wonders for your health. . dog and pony show - a display or demonstration of something The politicians put on a dog and pony show to make everyone forget about the scandal. dog-eat-dog - to be ready or willing to fight and hurt others to get what you want It is a dog-eat-dog world in the advertising and public relations business. dog in the manger - someone who prevents others from doing what he does not want them to do (from Aesops Fables) The girl was a dog in the manger when she cancelled the dinner because she could not attend. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 142 doll (oneself) up - to dress in fancy clothes She was all dolled up for the party at the downtown hotel. dollar for dollar - considering the cost Dollar for dollar, going to the mountains for a holiday is a good deal. done for - to be ruined/defeated/dying I think that our team is done for this season. done in - to be tired, to be exhausted I was done in so I went to bed early. done to a T - to be cooked just right The steaks were done to a T and everybody was very happy with them. done with (something) - to be finished using something I was done with the computer so I let my sister use it. doomed to failure - to be certain to fail The policy of the school was doomed to failure because nobody would support it. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 143 a dose of one's own medicine - the same kind of treatment that one gives to other people The man got a dose of his own medicine when his boss began to treat him the same way that he treated others. double back - to turn back from where you are going or where you have been We decided to double back from the arena and return home for a few minutes. double-check (something) - to check again to be sure that something is correct I double-checked the price of the airplane ticket. double-cross (someone) - to deceive someone, to promise one thing and then do another The man tried to double-cross his partner but was caught and sent to jail. double-talk - talk or words that appear to mean something but do not The speaker gave the audience much double-talk and nobody knew what he wanted to say. double up - to share a room with someone The passengers had to double up in hotel rooms when the plane landed because of the weather. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 144 a doubting Thomas - someone who needs strong proof to believe something My friend is a doubting Thomas and you must tell him many times before he will believe something. down Idioms down and dirty - unfair/nasty/sneaky The team decided to get down and dirty in order to try and win the tournament. down and out - to have no money My friend has been down and out before but usually he can find a job. down at the heels - to be shabby, to be poorly dressed The man looked down at the heels after he was fired from his job. down for the count - to be finished for now The boxer was down for the count but everybody expected him to get up and fight again. down in the dumps - to be unhappy The girl has been down in the dumps since her boyfriend moved away. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 145 down on one's luck - to be unlucky, to have no money The man was down on his luck and did not even have a place to live. down on (someone) - to be critical of someone, to be angry at someone The girl is down on her friend but I do not know the reason. down one`s alley - to be suited to one`s tastes and abilities Computers are down my alley so I am sure that I will be interested in the job. down the drain - to be wasted or lost My uncle is throwing money down the drain when he goes to the horse races. down the hatch - to swallow a drink or eat something The captain says down the hatch whenever he gives the sailors a drink. down the line - straight ahead, in the future There will be many changes in our company down the line. down the tubes - to be ruined/wasted All of our plans went down the tubes after my friend refused to join us. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 146 down to earth - to be sensible and practical My mother is very down to earth. down to the last detail - considering all of the details We fixed up everything on the boat, right down to the last detail. down to the wire - to be nearing a deadline, to be running out of time We went down to the wire but we were able to finish the job on time. down with (an illness) - to be ill, to be sick at home My sister was down with a cold so she could not go out for a few days. . drag in (someone or something) - to insist on bringing someone or something into a discussion Th employee always drags in his personal problems when we talk about his job performance. drag on - to pass very slowly, to make something longer The speech was dragging on so we decided to leave early. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 147 a drag on (someone) - a burden to someone The problems at work were a drag on my friend and he became sick because of them. drag one`s feet/heels - to act slowly or reluctantly The man has been dragging his feet about whether or not to take the job. draw Idioms draw a blank - to get no response to something, to get a negative result The manager drew a blank when he went to the head office to get information about the merger. draw a line betwen two things - to separate two things We must draw a line between using the internet for work and using it for personal use. draw blood - to make a wound that bleeds, to anger someone The politician was very careful not to draw blood during the debate. draw fire - to receive criticism for something The government began to draw fire when they announced changes in the health care system. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 148 draw fire - to be a target, to attract or provoke shooting The soldiers drew fire when they entered the small village. draw in one`s horns - to spend less money The company is not doing well so everybody must draw in their horns. draw interest - to appear interesting and attract someone's attention The singers drew much interest when they performed at the festival. draw interest - to earn interest when money is deposited in a bank The money that we put in the bank draws interest every month. draw lots/straws - to choose from a group of things to decide who will do something We decided to draw lots to see who would wash the dishes. draw (someone) out - to make a person talk or tell something The girl was very quiet but we were able to draw her out and she began talking. draw the line (at something) - to set a limit for something We have to draw the line somewhere to limit the costs of the party. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 149 draw to a close - to end The tournament was drawing to a close and everybody was going back to their homes. draw up (something) - to put something in writing They were able to draw up the contract while we were waiting. . dredge (something) up - to uncover something unpleasant and remind people about it The newspaper is always trying to dredge bad things up about the government. dress (someone) down - to scold someone The supervisor took the clerk into her office to dress her down. dressed to kill - to wear one`s finest clothes The woman was dressed to kill when I saw her at the concert last week. dressed to the nines/teeth - to be dressed elegantly The movie stars were dressed to the nines during the awards ceremony. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 150 dress up - to put on one`s best clothes I decided to dress up for dinner at the restaurant. drive a hard bargain - to conclude a bargain without making any concessions Although the man drives a hard bargain, I like doing business with him. drive at (something) - to try/want to say something I do not know what the man was driving at in his speech. drive (someone) up a wall - to irritate or annoy someone greatly My neighbor's constant complaining is driving me up a wall. drive (something) home - to make something clearly understood The high price of gasoline drove home to us the necessity of driving less. the driving force behind (someone or something) - the motivating force behind someone or something The potato farmers were the driving force behind the efforts to get people to eat more potatoes. . Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 142 doll (oneself) up - to dress in fancy clothes She was all dolled up for the party at the downtown hotel. dollar for dollar - considering the cost Dollar for dollar, going. to deceive someone, to promise one thing and then do another The man tried to double-cross his partner but was caught and sent to jail. double-talk - talk or words that appear to mean something. down the tubes - to be ruined/wasted All of our plans went down the tubes after my friend refused to join us. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 146 down to earth - to be sensible and practical