do イディオム
a dildo
a manufactured penis, a vibrator shaped like a penis """When Ed's away I use a dildo."""
a dime a dozen
very cheap, low priced, dirt cheap He can remember when eggs were cheap - a dime a dozen.
a dog's age
a long time, 10-15 years, a coon's age Mel! I haven't seen you for a dog's age - at least ten years!
a dog's breakfast
a mixture of many things, a hodgepodge This book is a dog's breakfast. It contains a bit of everything.
a dog's life
a poor life, hard times Without a job, it's a dog's life.
a double-edged sword
a device that can help you and hurt you Truth is a double-edged sword. It can imprison me or set me free.
a downer (drug)
a drug that relaxes you, a sedative Before bedtime he took a downer to help him relax and sleep.
a downer (sadness)
an event or statement that causes sadness News of the war was a downer. Most of the people dreadedwar.
a dressing down
a scolding, a lecture, a piece of my mind Mother gave me a dressing down when I said bad words.
a handout
free food or money, freeload I'm not asking for a handout. I'll pay you back when I find work.
a hotdog
one who plays only for the crowd, a show-off Eddie was a hotdog - always trying to excite the crowd.
a little hair off the dog
(See hair off the dog)
a shadow of his former self
much lighter than he was before, very thin and weak After twenty years in prison, he was a shadow of his former self.
a window of opportunity
an opportunity, a chance, a golden opportunity Sometimes a problem is actually a window of opportunity.
about to do something
on the point of doing something She was about to leave when the phone rang.
an apple a day keeps the doctor away
eat one apple each day for good health "Mom gave me an apple, saying, ""An apple a day... ."""
at death's door
very near death The Prime Minister was at death's door after suffering a serious stroke.
back down
yield, not challenge, not stand up to Ole won't back down from you. He's ready to fight.
be my undoing
"be the cause of my failure; my Achilles' heel" Credit cards may be my undoing. My VISA balance is over $5000!
bear down
try harder, bite the bullet If you bear down a little, you can graduate this year.
bed down
lie down and sleep, find a place to sleep After grazing in the valley, the deer will bed down on the hill.
beg your pardon
excuse me, please do not be offended I beg your pardon, but I am using this phone booth.
beg your pardon?
what did you say? will you repeat what you said? Beg your pardon? Did you say you are Paul Newman?
bend over backwards to do something
try very hard If I can, I will bend over backwards to help you get a promotion in the company.
benefit of the doubt
(See the benefit of the doubt)
bet you dollars to donuts
"I will bet dollars, you bet donuts; give you odds" Ben is the fastest runner. I'll bet you dollars to donuts he wins.
billy dog
(See a billy dog)
blow me down
I am very surprised, I do not believe it Well, blow me down, Olive. You can cook spinach, too!
blow to kingdom come
explode and destroy, blow up There's enough gas in the well to blow us kingdom come!
bog down
slow to a stop The negotiations bogged down when the union said they would not negotiate about the part-time workers.
bottom dollar
one
break down
fail, not operate, out of order If that copier breaks down again I'm going to give it away.
breakdown
sudden health failure, fall apart After his breakdown, he found an occupation with less stress.
breathe down my neck
watch everything I do, follow me as I work It's difficult to work with him breathing down my neck.
breathe down one
follow closely, threaten from behind My boss has been breathing down my neck all day to try and get me to work harder.
bring the house down
cause much laughter in the audience The comedian brought the house down with his jokes about the lost dog.
buckle down
give complete attention or effort to do something I told her that it was time that she buckled down and began to work harder than before.
burn down
burn completely (usually used for buildings) The neighbor
call off the dogs
tell your friends to stop harassing me Okay, I'll pay what I owe you. But call off the dogs!
calm down
not be so upset, chill out Please calm down, Mr. Tse. Your daughter is safe.
catch me doing that
see me doing that, find me doing that You won't catch me skydiving. It's too dangerous.
caught with his pants down
found doing a bad act, caught in the act Percy was caught cheating - caught with his pants down.
chips are down
(See when the chips are down)
chow down
eat, have a meal I'm hungry. Let's chow down before we go to the movie.
chromedome
bald person, silkhead A chromedome can tell you the the advantages of being bald.
come down hard
punish hard, throw the book at The teachers come down hard on cheating. They suspend cheaters.
come down on like a ton of bricks
reprove, punish harshly """Whenever I make the slightest mistake, my boss comes down on me like a ton of bricks."""
come down to earth
be realistic, get your head out of the clouds If she'd come down to earth, if she'd stop dreaming about fame, she could pass her exams.
come down with
become sick with, catch My niece came down with a bad cold and was unable to visit me last week.
couch doctor
a psychoanalyst who puts his patients on a couch He was sent to see a couch doctor after his continued problems at work.
