[do duty for]{v. phr.} To substitute for; act in place of. •/The bench often does duty for a table./
[Doe] See: JOHN DOE.
[doesn’t add up to a can of beans]{v. phr.} To be of little or no value. (Said of plans, ideas, etc.) •/"That’s a fairly interesting concept you got there, Mike, but the competition is bound to say that it doesn’t add up to a can of beans."/
[do for]{v.}, {informal} To cause the death or ruin of; cause to fail. — Used usually in the passive form "done for". •/The poor fellow is done for and will die before morning./ •/Andy’s employer always does very well by him./ •/If Jim fails that test, he is done for./
[dog] See: EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY, GO TO THE DOGS, HOT DOG, LEAD A DOG’S LIFE, LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE, RAIN CATS AND DOGS.
[dog days]{n. phr.} The hottest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (July and August). (The ancient Romans associated this time with the "Dog Star" — Sirius — which becomes visible in the heavens at this time of year.) •/"The dog days are upon us," John said. "It’s time to go swimming in the lake."/
[dog-eat-dog(1)]{n.} A way of living in which every person tries to get what he wants for himself no matter how badly or cruelly he must treat others to get it; readiness to do anything to get what you want. •/In some early frontier towns it was dog-eat-dog./
[dog-eat-dog(2)]{adj.} Ready or willing to fight and hurt others to get what you want. •/During the California gold rush, men had a dog-eat-dog life./
[doghouse] See: IN THE DOGHOUSE.
[dog in the manger]{n. phr.} A person who is unwilling to let another use what he himself has no use for. •/Although Valerie lives alone in that big house, she is like a dog in the manger when it comes to letting someone sharing it with her./
[dog one’s steps]{v. phr.} To follow someone closely. •/All the time he was in Havana, Castro’s police were dogging his steps./
[dog’s age] or [coon’s age] {n.}, {informal} A very long time. Usually used after "for" or "in" with a negative. •/Charlie Brown! I haven’t seen you for a coon’s age./ •/Father hasn’t had a night out with the boys in a dog’s age./ •/I waited for him for a dog’s age, but he didn’t come./ Syn.: MONTH OF SUNDAYS.
[dog’s life]{n. phr.} A life of misery, poverty, and unhappiness. •/Diogenes, the Greek philosopher, lived a dog’s life inside an empty barrel./
[do in]{v.}, {slang} 1. To ruin; destroy. •/Mr. Smith’s business was done in by a fire that burned down his store./ 2a. To kill; murder. •/The poor man was done in by two gangsters who ran away after the crime./ 2b. To make tired; exhaust. •/The boys were done in after their long hike./ Syn.: WEAR OUT(2). 3. To cheat; swindle. •/Mr. Jones was done in by two men who claimed to be collecting money for orphans and widows./
[doing] See: NOTHING DOING.
[do justice to]{v. phr.} 1. To do (something) as well as you should; do properly. •/Barbara had so many things to do that she could not do justice to her lessons./ •/The newspaper man did not do justice to the story./ 2. To eat or drink with enthusiasm or enjoyment. •/The boy did justice to the meal./
[dole out]{v. phr.} To measure out sparingly. •/Since the water ration was running low in the desert, the camp commandant doled out small cups of water to each soldier./
[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./
[double duty]{n.} Two uses or jobs; two purposes or duties. •/Matthew does double duty. He’s the janitor in the morning and gardener in the afternoon./ •/Our new washer does double duty; it washes the clothes and also dries them./
[double-header]{n.} Two games or contests played one right after the other, between the same two teams or two different pairs of teams. •/The Yankees and the Dodgers played a double-header Sunday afternoon./ •/We went to a basketball double-header at Madison Square Garden and saw Seton Hall play St. John’s and N.Y.U. play Notre Dame./
[double nickel]{adv.}, {slang}, {citizen’s band radio jargon} The nationally enforced speed limit on some highways — 55 MPH. •/We’d better go double nickel on this stretch, partner; there’s a bear in the air./
[double-park]{v.} To park a car beside another car which is at the curb. •/Jimmy’s father double-parked his car and the police gave him a ticket./ •/If you double-park, you block other cars from passing./
