[dollar] See: BET ONE’S BOTTOM DOLLAR at BET ONE’S BOOTS, FEEL LIKE A
MILLION or FEEL LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS, LOOK LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS.
[doll up]{v.}, {slang} 1. To dress in fine or fancy clothes.
•/The girls dolled up for the big school dance of the year./ •/The girls
were all dolled up for the Christmas party./ 2. To make more pretty or
attractive. •/The classrooms were all dolled up with Christmas
decorations./ Compare: DECKED OUT.
[done for]{adj. phr.} Finished; dead. •/When the police burst in on
the crooks, they knew they were done for./
[done to a turn] See: TO A T or TO A TURN.
[done with]{adj. phr.} Finished; completed. •/As soon as you’re done
with your work, give us a call./
[don’t cross your bridges until you come to them] See: CROSS A BRIDGE
BEFORE ONE COMES TO IT.
[don’t cry before you’re hurt] See: CRY BEFORE ONE IS HURT.
[don’t let’s] See: LET’S DON’T.
[don’t look a gift horse in the mouth] See: LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH.
[do one a good turn]{v. phr.} To perform an act of kindness,
friendship, or help to another person, unselfishly, without expectation of
reward. •/"I’ll be happy to help you any time you need it," John said.
"After all you have done me so many good turns."/
[do one good]{v. phr.} To benefit. •/The fresh air will do you good
after having been inside the house all day./
[do one good] or [do one’s heart good] {v. phr.} To give
satisfaction; please; gratify. •/It does my heart good to see those children
play./
[do one’s best]{v. phr.} To perform at one’s optimum capacity; spare
no effort in fulfilling one’s duties. •/"I’ve really done my best teaching
you people," the tired professor said on the last day of classes. "I hope you
got something out of this course."/
[do one’s bit] or [part] {v. phr.} To shoulder one’s share of
responsibility in a communal undertaking; shirk one’s obligation. •/"Let me
go home and rest, fellows, " John said. "I think I’ve done my bit for this
project. "/
[do one’s thing] or [do one’s own thing] {v. phr.}, {informal}
1. To do what one does well and actually enjoys doing. •/Two thousand fans
paid $15 each to hear the rock group do their thing./ 2. To follow one’s
bent; for example, to be engaged in left-wing politics, some sort of
meditation, or use of drugs (particularly in the sixties). •/The hippies were
doing their own thing when the cops came and busted them./ 3. To be engaged
in an unusual activity that strikes others as odd. •/Leave Jim alone, he’s
just doing his own thing when he’s standing on his head./
[do one’s worst]{v. phr.} To do one’s utmost by resorting to every
foul means possible. •/Hitler did his worst to drive out the Allied invasion
from Europe, but he failed./
[door] See: AT DEATH’S DOOR, AT ONE’S DOOR, CLOSED-DOOR, CLOSE ITS DOORS,
CLOSE THE DOOR or BAR THE DOOR or SHUT THE DOOR, DARKEN ONE S DOOR, or DARKEN
THE DOOR, FOOT IN THE DOOR, KEEP THE WOLF FROM THE DOOR, LAY AT ONE’S DOOR,
LOCK THE BARN DOOR AFTER THE HORSE IS STOLEN, NEXT DOOR, OPEN ITS DOORS, OPEN
THE DOOR, SHOW THE DOOR, SLAM THE DOOR IN ONE’S FACE at IN ONE’S FACE.
[do-or-die]{adj.} Strongly decided, very eager and determined.
•/With a real do-or-die spirit the team scored two touchdowns in the last
five minutes of the game./ •/The other army was larger but our men showed a
do-or-die determination and won the battle./
[doorstep] See: AT ONE’S DOOR or AT ONE’S DOOR-STEP.
[do over]{v. phr.} 1. To renovate; redecorate. •/The new owners are
going to do over the entire building in the fall./ 2. To repeat. •/Please
do that math problem over until you get it right./
[dope out]{v.}, {slang} To think of something that explains.
•/The detectives tried to dope out why the man was murdered./ Syn.: FIGURE
OUT.
[do proud] See: DO CREDIT.
[do someone out of something]{v.}, {informal} To cause to lose by
trickery or cheating. •/The clerk in the store did me out of $2.00 by
overcharging me./
[dose of one’s own medicine] or [taste of one’s own medicine] {n.
phr.} Being treated in the same way you treat others; something bad done to
you as you have done bad to other people. •/Jim was always playing tricks on
other boys. Finally they decided to give him a dose of his own medicine./
[dot] See: ON THE DOT also ON THE BUTTON.
[do tell]{interj.}, {informal} An inelegant expression used to
show that you are a little surprised by what you hear. •/"You say George is
going to get married after all these years? Do tell!" said Mrs. Green./ Syn.:
YOU DON’T SAY.
[do the business]{v. phr.}, {informal} To do what is needed or
wanted; get the job done; take proper action. •/The boys had trouble in
rolling the stone, but four of them did the business./ •/When the little
boy cut his finger a bandage did the business./
[do the honors]{v. phr.} To act as host or hostess (as in introducing
guests, carving, or paying other attentions to guests.) •/The president of
the club will do the honors at the banquet./
[do the trick]{v. phr.}, {informal} To bring success in doing
something; have a desired result. •/Jim was not passing in English, but he
studied harder and that did the trick./ •/The car wheels slipped on the
ice, so Tom put sand under them, which did the trick./ Compare: TURN THE
TRICK.
[do things by halves]{v. phr.} To do things in a careless and
incomplete way. •/When he reads a book he always does it by halves; he seldom
finishes it./
[do time] or [doing time] See: DO A STRETCH.
[do to death]{v. phr.} To overdo; do something so often that it
becomes extremely boring or tiresome. •/The typical car chase scene in motion
pictures has been done to death./
[dot the i’s and cross the t’s]{v. phr.} To be careful, thorough, and
pay close attention to detail. •/"The best way to get an A on the final
exam," the teacher said, "is for every one to dot the i’s and cross the
t’s."/ Compare: MIND ONE’S P’S AND Q’S.
[double back]{v.} 1. To turn back on one’s way or course. •/The
escaped prisoner doubled back on his tracks./ 2. To fold over; usually in the
middle. •/The teacher told Johnny to double back the sheet of paper and tear
it in half./
[double check]{n.} A careful second check to be sure that something is
right; a careful look for errors. •/The policeman made a double check on the
doors in the shopping area./
[double-check]{v.} 1. To do a double check on; look at again very
carefully. •/When the last typing of his book was finished, the author
double-checked it./ 2. To make a double check; look carefully at something.
•/The proofreader double-checks against errors./
[double-cross]{v.} To promise one thing and deliver another; to
deceive. •/The lawyer double-crossed the inventor by manufacturing the gadget
instead of fulfilling his promise to arrange a patent for his client./
Compare: SELL DOWN THE RIVER, TWO-TIME.
[double date]{n.}, {informal} A date on which two couples go
together. •/John and Nancy went with Mary and Bill on a double date./
[double-date]{v.}, {informal} To go on a double date; date with
another couple. •/John and Nancy and Mary and Bill double-date./