du イディオム
a dust-up
"a fight, a skirmish; set-to" The boys argued and had a little dust-up, but no one got hurt.
a sitting duck
an easy target, a person who is easy to deceive The old lady was a sitting duck for the salesman. It was an easy sale.
above and beyond the call of duty
much more than expected, go the extra mile Her extra work was above and beyond the call of duty.
all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
do not work too long, take time for recreation, take time to smell... When I picked up my overtime cheque, Karen reminded me that All work and no play... .
beyond the call of duty
(See above and beyond the call of duty)
bite the dust
be killed, break down, be defeated I think that my car has finally bitten the dust.
captain of industry
a top corporation officer The president of our company was a captain of industry and after he retired he was appointed to many government boards.
Christmas graduate
a student who leaves college at Christmas Among the Christmas graduates last year was Gerard Kutz.
collecting dust
not used for a long time, idle, gathering dust """Where's the silver tray?"" ""On the shelf, collecting dust."""
dead duck
someone in a hopeless situation or condition He is a dead duck. When the police find him he will have to go to jail.
down in the dumps
unhappy She has been really down in the dumps since her boyfriend moved away.
dubs
"everyone pays for his own food; dutch treat" If we go to the cafe, it's dubs. We each pay for our own treat.
duck soup
easy, effortless How was the test last week? It was duck soup - no problem at all.
ducks in order
"organized, planned; each person knows his job" I have to get my ducks in order before the sale on Tuesday.
due north
straight north, directly north "Follow the winding road west to the junction; then go due north."
DUI
Driving Under the Influence The man was sent to jail for several months on a charge of DUI.
duke it out
fight with your fists, punch each other Gerry wanted to duke it out with the referee - tried to punch him.
dumb bunny
stupid or gullible person He really is a dumb bunny. I can
dumbbell
one who does not think, an airhead, knucklehead What a dumbbell I am! I locked the keys in the car.
dumbo
a person who acts stupid, a fool, a dipstick Hey, dumbo! You're driving on the wrong side of the road!
dump her/him
leave her or him, drop her, tube her (see tube him) Sid and Marie had a fight, so he dumped her and began seeing me.
dump on
unload the dirty jobs, give what is left over They dump on Karen too much. They give her the large classes.
dumpster diving
searching in the garbage to find bottles etc. No. This college does not offer a course in dumpster diving.
durn
(See darn)
dust
ruined, dead, done for, toast If you smuggle drugs into the US, you're dust. You'll go to jail.
dust bunny
ball of dust on the floor, dust that looks like fur On Saturday morning I vacuum up the dust bunnies before I go out.
dust devil
small whirlwind, twister Dust devils seemed to follow us as we walked across the field.
dust-up
(See a dust-up)
Dutch treat
meal/movie etc. where each person pays their own way, contribute equally to something When he goes out with his girlfriend it is always a Dutch treat as he doesn
duty calls
it is my duty, I must do a task """Duty calls,"" he said, opening a book to begin his homework."
fuddle duddle
fiddlesticks, nuts, phooey, rats, "I did not use the F-word. I said, ""Oh, fuddle duddle!"""
gathering dust
not being used, sitting on a shelf, collecting dust That old coffee tray has been gathering dust for years.
give someone their due
give someone the credit that they deserve You have to give him his due. He has successfully saved the company from bankruptcy.
give the devil his due
be fair (even to someone who is bad and who you dislike) I don
go Dutch
two people each pay for themselves We always go Dutch when we go on a date.
heavy duty
very difficult, demanding I have to work hard at math. It's a heavy-duty course.
in due course
in the usual amount of time, at the right time We will send the information to you in due course.
in the line of duty
done or happening as part of a job The police officer was killed in the line of duty during the bank robbery.
just ducky
just fine, wonderful, peachy """Bill, my mother is coming to live with us."" ""That's ducky, just ducky!"""
lame duck
public official who has a short time left to serve in office and therefore has less power than before He is a lame duck president so it is difficult for him to get things accomplished.
like water off a duck
without effect, without changing one
off duty
not working, having free time The police officer was off duty when he came across the bank robbery.
on schedule
within the dates on the plan, on target They arrived on Mars on June 11, which means they're on schedule.
pay your dues
work hard and learn, be loyal for years In the sport of rodeo, you have to pay your dues to get respect.
play dumb
act as if you do not know, play along Play dumb when she tells you I won. Pretend you don't know.
plug the product
(See put in a plug for)
reduce to tears
ask hurtful questions until someone cries The lawyer's hurtful questions soon reduced Karla to tears.
saw sawdust
review a decision or failure too many times """Don't saw sawdust,"" said the old man. ""Don't live in the past."""
see me for dust
not see me because I leave so fast, tail lights If a sumo wrestler chased me, you wouldn't see me for dust.
sitting duck
an unsuspecting person easily fooled - as if they are waiting to be attacked The woman was a sitting duck when she sat on the bench with her purse beside her.
