This page gathers the 4,686 dictionary entries of which at least one sense is labelled “Idiomatic” by Wiktionary. The definition shown is that sense; each word leads to its full entry. Page 11 of 47: from “deep cut” to “draw fire”.
- deep cut noun An obscure song by a well known musician.
- deep dive verb To conduct an in-depth examination or analysis of a topic.
- deep six verb To discard, get rid of, or cancel; to completely put an end to something.
- deep water noun A difficult or embarrassing situation.
- deer in the headlights noun A person in a mental state of high arousal caused by anxiety, fear, panic, surprise, confusion, or substance abuse.
- degrade gracefully verb Of a system: to maintain at least some of its functionality when portions are not working, or when certain features are not available.
- democratic wedding noun An election.
- derangement syndrome noun The acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal and balanced people triggered by the mention of a specific topic.
- desk jockey noun One who spends their time seated at a desk; especially one who is more concerned with procedure, paperwork, or administration than with an…
- devil dancing noun Risky, reckless or potentially immoral behavior.
- devil in disguise noun A person or thing that appears to be good, honest, or upstanding, but is inherently nasty, evil, or damaging.
- devil's advocate noun One who debates from a viewpoint which one may not actually hold, usually to determine its validity or simply for the sake of argument.
- devour verb To rapidly destroy, engulf, or lay waste.
- dice roll noun Something unpredictable or unexpected.
- dicky noun An insignificant sound or thing; dicky-bird.
- die verb To be or become hated or utterly ignored or cut off, as if dead.
- die a thousand deaths verb To suffer repeatedly (often mentally rather than physically); to suffer extreme embarrassment or anxiety.
- die hard verb Of a living being, to die only after a desperate struggle for life.
- die on one's arse verb To fail completely.
- die on the vine verb To fail at an early stage or never come to fruition, typically due to neglect, infeasibility, or lack of resources.
- die out verb To become extinct.
- die the way one lived verb To die because of or after doing something characteristic of oneself, especially something that one enjoyed doing.
- diehard adj Unreasonably or stubbornly resisting change.
- dig in verb To adopt a resolute state of mind.
- dig in one's heels verb To act in a determined manner by firmly maintaining one's beliefs, demands, situation, etc. in the face of opposition or cajoling.
- dig one's heels in verb Alternative form of dig in one's heels.
- dig one's own grave verb To behave in a way that is likely to cause one to lose or fail, including, but not limited to, result in death.
- dig up verb To discover something by digging; to unearth.
- dig up dirt verb To examine in order to find negative information for public opinion, usually with the purpose of embarrassing or discrediting a person.
- digital courage noun The sense of being able or emboldened to say something to someone over digital media (text, instant message, etc.) that one would not…
- diminishing returns noun A condition in which additional inputs into an organization, project or process produce progressively fewer or lower-quality additional…
- dip into verb To spend some of a source of money (such as one's savings).
- dip one's finger in verb To take a small, cautious sample of something, or to become minimally involved in an activity, process, or project.
- diplomatic flu noun An illness feigned by one or more government officials or other public figures as an excuse for an absence really based on political…
- dirty laundry noun Unflattering or embarrassing facts, or questionable activities that one wants to remain secret, but which someone else may use as blackmail.
- dirty money noun Money that is illegally gained, illegally transferred or illegally utilized, especially money gained through forgery, bribery…
- dirty word noun The name of a topic that a person prefers not to hear or discuss.
- dirty work noun One or more unpleasant tasks, assignments, or employment duties, especially those of a disreputable or illicit nature.
- dishpan hands noun Hands which are rough, reddish, and dry, as from irritation and chafing caused by immersion in hot water mixed with detergent.
- do away with verb To abolish; to put an end to; to eliminate.
- do by halves verb To perform (a task, etc) partially or incompletely; to do (something) inadequately, halfheartedly, or shoddily.
- do cartwheels verb To be extremely happy
- do justice verb To allow to be apprehended in its full scope.
- do me a favour phrase Expressing incredulity.
- do one's homework verb To prepare oneself with the relevant knowledge; to carry out the necessary research in advance.
- do one's own thing verb To do what one considers to be best suited or most satisfying for oneself; to do what expresses one's distinctive interests or talents; to…
- do or die adj Requiring a determined or desperate effort in order to avoid the consequences of failure.
- do the decent thing verb To take the most honorable or appropriate course of action, even if is not necessarily in the person's own interests.
- do the honors verb To act as a host to guests.
- do the math verb To determine the explanation for or precise nature of a situation, such as the motive underlying someone's behavior, based on available…
- do the most verb To overdo, especially pointlessly.
- do the talking verb To convey the message; to communicate an idea or create an impression.
- do up verb To fasten (a piece of clothing, etc.); to tighten (a nut etc.)
- do well by doing good verb To achieve social acceptance or financial success as a result of behaving in a benevolent or charitable manner.
- do with mirrors verb To perform a magic trick or produce an optical illusion with the use of hidden mirrors, implying trickery and sham.
- doctored adj Altered; falsified; skewed; manipulated.
- dog and cat noun A team comprising one male and one female, either working as associates or having one as the second-in-command to the other.
- dog and pony show noun Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate, while lacking real substance.
- dog around verb To follow diligently.
- dog eat dog adj Ruthlessly acquisitive or competitive; of a business or other set of circumstances, trying to succeed at the expense of other people.
- dog in the hunt noun Something that may lead to gain, depending on the outcome; a position for which to campaign or cheer.
- dog's breakfast noun An unappealing mixture; a disorderly situation; a mess.
- dog's life noun A miserable, wretched existence.
- doghole noun A place regarded as fit only for dogs: a horrid, mean habitation.
- don't call us, we'll call you phrase A stereotypical statement from a hiring organization to a potential candidate, suggesting that the candidate will not be hired.
- don't give up your day job phrase Somewhat sarcastic but usually good-natured advice used to criticise a person's degree of talent (especially in music or other performing…
- don't hold your breath phrase Don't wait. Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned is unlikely to happen soon or at all.
- don't let the door hit you on the way out phrase Used as a command to leave in haste, or to indicate that one is glad, or at least unmoved, to see the addressed person leaving.
- don't shit where you eat proverb One should not cause trouble in places, groups, or situations that one holds as important or necessary to one's happiness or well-being.
- don't tell me phrase Used to introduce a guess at a fact or situation, as if forestalling the other speaker's utterance.
- don't worry phrase Synonym of none of your business.
- done deal noun An agreement that has been finally resolved or decided.
- donkey's ears noun A long time, years and years.
- dope sheet noun A summary, ordinarily in the form of a document, containing important facts and background information concerning a person, activity, or…
- dormitive principle noun A type of tautology in which an item is explained in terms of the item itself, only put in different (usually more abstract) words.
- dormitive virtue noun A type of tautology in which an item is explained in terms of the item itself, only put in different (usually more abstract) words.
- dot the i's and cross the t's verb To take care of every detail, even minor ones; to be meticulous or thorough; to finish off something close to complete.
- double bookkeeping noun The tendency, among those who experience delusions, to perceive reality and the delusions as both being real, while remaining unbothered by…
- double over verb To bend over deeply at the waist.
- double tap noun A tactical shooting technique of pulling the trigger of a weapon twice in quick succession to deliver two shots to the same target zone.
- double-tongued adj Saying one thing to one person and something different to another; double talking; deceitful in speech.
- doubting Thomas noun One who requires proof before believing.
- dough-faced adj Cowardly.
- down and out adj In a condition of poverty or debility, especially as a result of experiencing a financial or personal setback.
- down at heel adj Shabbily dressed, slovenly; impoverished; shabby, dilapidated.
- down for the count adj Decisively beaten; defeated; rendered irrelevant for the long term.
- down the drain prep_phrase Wasted or irretrievable.
- down the road prep_phrase Further along, in terms of time or progress.
- down the road, not across the street adv Of the technique for committing suicide, along the radial artery rather than across the wrist from side to side.
- down to the short strokes adj In the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious.
- down to the wire adj At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.
- down under prep_phrase In Australia.
- down-to-earth adj Practical; realistic; pragmatic.
- downturn verb To decline.
- drag ass verb To move slowly, or lag behind.
- drag one's feet verb To procrastinate, put off; to dawdle, avoid, or make progress slowly and reluctantly.
- drag the chain verb To fall behind relative to others.
- drama queen noun An overly or exaggeratedly dramatic person, especially a woman or a girl. Or a diva or a narcissist.
- draw a blank verb To be unable to recall a required piece of information.
- draw fire verb To create a distraction that allows one's friends, co-workers, or other associates to gain an advantage over the distracted party.