[double-talk]{n.} 1. Something said that is worded, either on purpose or by accident, so that it may be understood in two or more different ways. •/The politician avoided the question with double-talk./ 2. Something said that does not make sense; mixed up talk or writing; nonsense. •/The man’s explanation of the new tax bill was just a lot of double-talk./
[double up]{v.} 1. To bend far over forward. •/Jim was hit by the baseball and doubled up with pain./ 2. To share a room, bed, or home with another. •/When relatives came for a visit, Ann had to double up with her sister./
[doubt] See: GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT, NO DOUBT.
[do up]{v.} 1a. To clean and prepare for use or wear; launder. •/Ann asked her mother to do up her dress./ 1b. To put in order; straighten up; clean. •/At camp the girls have to do up their own cabins./ 2. To tie up or wrap. •/Joan asked the clerk to do up her purchases./ 3a. To set and fasten (hair) in place. •/Grace helped her sister to do up her hair./ Compare: PUT UP. 3b. {informal} To dress or clothe. •/Suzie was done up in her fine new skirt and blouse./
[do up brown]{v. phr.}, {slang} To do in a thorough or complete way. •/When Jim does a job, he does it up brown./
[do well by]{v. phr.} To benefit; help; treat exceptionally well. •/In his will Grandpa did well by all of his grandchildren and left each of them one million dollars./
[do with]{v.} 1. To find enough for one’s needs; manage. — Usually follows "can". •/Some children can do with very little spending money./ Compare: GET ALONG, MAKE DO. 2. To make use of; find useful or helpful. — Follows "can" or "could". •/After a hard day’s work, a man can do with a good, hot meal./ •/After cleaning out the basement, the boy could do with a bath./
[do without] or [go without] {v.} 1. To live or work without (something you want); manage without. •/Ann said that she likes candy, but can do without it./ •/We had to go without hot food because the stove was broken./ 2. To live or work without something you want; manage. •/If George cannot earn money for a bicycle, he will have to do without./ Compare: GET ALONG, GET BY.
[down and out]{adj. phr.} Without money; without a job or home; broke. •/Poor Sam lost his job after his wife had left him; he is really down and out./
[down-and-outer]{n. phr.} A person who has lost everything and is penniless. •/Joe goes from shelter to shelter asking for food and a place to sleep; he’s become a regular down-and-outer./
[down-at-heel] or [down-at-the-heel] or [down-at-the-heels] {adj.} Poorly kept up or dressed shabby; not neat; sloppy. •/John is always down-at-the-heels, but his sister is always very neat./ •/Old houses sometimes look down-at-the-heel./
[down east] or [Down East] {n.} The northeast coastal part of the United States and part of Canada; especially: the coastal parts of Maine. •/Many people in Boston like to go down east for their summer vacation./ Compare: I WOULDN’T DO IT FOR A FARM DOWN EAST.
[down in the dumps] or [down in the mouth] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Sad or discouraged; gloomy; dejected. •/The boys were certainly down in the dumps when they heard that their team had lost./
[down on]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Having a grudge against; angry at. •/John is down on his teacher because she gave him a low grade./
[down one’s alley] or [up one’s alley] {adj. phr.}, {slang} Suited to your tastes and abilities; what you like or like to do. •/Baseball is right down Jim’s alley./ Compare: CUP OF TEA.
[down one’s neck] See: BREATHE DOWN ONE’S NECK.
[down one’s nose] See: LOOK DOWN ONE’S NOSE.
[down one’s throat] See: JUMP DOWN ONE’S THROAT, SHOVE DOWN ONE’S THROAT or RAM DOWN ONE’S THROAT.
[down on one’s luck]{adj.}, {informal} Having bad luck; having much trouble; not successful in life. •/Harry asked me to lend him ten dollars, because he was down on his luck./ •/The teacher is easy on Jane because Jane has been down on her luck lately./ Compare: HARD ROW TO HOE, HARD SLEDDING, ON ONE’S UPPERS.
[down payment]{n.} A retainer paid to a prospective seller. •/How much of a down payment do you require for this new car?/
[down the drain]{adj.} or {adv. phr.}, {informal} Wasted; lost. •/It is money down the drain if you spend it all on candy./ •/Our plans to go swimming went down the drain when it rained./ Compare: GO BY THE BOARD.
[down the hatch!]{v. phr.}, {informal} Let us drink! •/When we celebrated Mom’s birthday, we all raised our glasses and cried in unison, "Down the hatch!"/
[down the line]{adv. phr.}, {informal} 1. Down the road or street; straight ahead. •/The church is down the line a few blocks./ 2. All the way; completely; thoroughly. •/Bob always follows the teacher’s directions right down the line./
[down-to-earth]{adj.} Showing good sense; practical. •/The committee’s first plan for the party was too fancy, but the second was more down-to-earth./ •/Mr. Jenkins never seems to know what is happening around him, but his wife is friendly and down-to-earth./ Compare: COME BACK TO EARTH.
[down to the wire]{adj.}, {slang} 1. Running out of time, nearing a deadline. •/Bob is down to the wire on his project./ 2. Being financially almost broke, being very low on cash or other funds. •/We can’t afford going to a restaurant tonight — we’re really down to the wire!/
[down with a disease]{adj. phr.} Ill or sick. •/Aunt Liz is down with the flu this week; she has to stay in bed./
[dozen] See: BY THE DOZEN, DAILY DOZEN, DIME A DOZEN, SIX OF ONE AND HALF-A-DOZEN OF THE OTHER.
[drag in]{v.} To insist on bringing (another subject) into a discussion; begin talking about (something different.) •/No matter what we talk about, Jim drags in politics./ •/Whenever anyone mentions travel, Grace has to drag in the trip to Mexico she took ten years ago./
[drag on] or [drag out] {v.} 1. To pass very slowly. •/The cold winter months dragged on until we thought spring would never come./ 2. To prolong; make longer. •/The meeting would have been over quickly if the members had not dragged out the argument about dues./
[drag on the market]{n. phr.} An article for which the demand has fallen off thus causing an oversupply. •/Your type of word processor went out of style and is now a drag on the market./
[drag oneself up by one’s boot straps] See: PULL ONESELF UP BY THE BOOT STRAPS.
[drag one’s feet] or [drag one’s heels] {v. phr.} To act slowly or reluctantly. •/The children wanted to watch television, and dragged their feet when their mother told them to go to bed./ •/The city employees said the mayor had promised to raise their pay, but was now dragging his feet./
[drag out] See: DRAG ON.
[drag race]{n.}, {slang} An automobile race in which the drivers try to cover a certain distance (usually one quarter mile) in the shortest possible time. •/Drag races are often held on airport landing strips./ •/Holding drag races is a good way to stop teenage hot rod racing on public highways./ Compare: DRAG STRIP.
[drag strip]{n.}, {slang} A place where drag races are held. •/Before the race Paul loaded his racer onto the trailer to take it out of town to the drag strip for the race./ Compare: DRAG RACE.
[drain] See: DOWN THE DRAIN.
[draw] See: BEAT TO THE PUNCH or BEAT TO THE DRAW.
[draw a bead on]{v. phr.}{informal} 1. To aim at; sight (with a gun). •/The deer bounded into the forest before the hunters could draw a bead on them./ •/John drew a bead on the elk, but didn’t have the heart to pull the trigger./ 2. To take (something) as an aim or goal. •/"I’m drawing a bead on the Literary Society president’s office," said Tom./ 3. To use as a target of attack; criticize. •/Whenever a politician makes a mistake, his opponents are ready to draw a bead on him./
[draw a blank]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To obtain nothing in return for an effort made or to get a negative result. •/I looked up all the Joneses in the telephone book but I drew a blank every time I asked for Archibald Jones./ 2. To fail to remember something. •/I am trying to think of the name but I keep drawing a blank./ 3. To be consistently unsuccessful at doing something. •/I keep trying to pass that math exam but each time I try it I draw a blank./
[draw a conclusion]{v. phr.} To make an inference. •/After he failed to keep an appointment with me for the third time, I drew the conclusion that he was an unreliable person./
[draw a line] or [draw the line] {v. phr.} 1. To think of as different. •/The law in this country draws a line between murder and manslaughter./ •/Can you draw the line between a lie and a fib?/ 2. To set a limit to what will be done; say something cannot be done. •/We would like to invite everybody to our party, but we have to draw a line somewhere./ — Often used with "at". •/Mrs. Jones draws the line at permitting the children to play in their father’s den./ •/People fighting for their freedom often do not draw the line at murder./
[draw a long breath] or [take a long breath] {v. phr.} To breathe deeply when getting ready to speak or act. •/Father asked who broke the window. Jim drew a long breath and admitted that he had done it./ •/The salesman took a long breath and started his talk./
[draw a parallel]{v. phr.} To make a comparison. •/It is easy to draw a parallel between the characters of Saint Francis of Assisi and Great Saint Theresa of Aquila, but this doesn’t mean that all saints are alike./
[draw and quarter]{v. phr.}, {literary} 1. To execute someone in the barbaric medieval fashion of having him torn into four pieces by four horses tearing his body in four different directions. •/The captured foreign marauders were drawn and quartered by the angry citizens of ancient Frankfurt./ 2. To punish someone very severely. •/"If you miss another homework assignment, John," the teacher said, "I’ll have you drawn and quartered."/
[draw aside]{v. phr.} To separate; take to one side. •/He drew her aside and whispered into her ear, "Johanna, please marry me!"/
[draw back]{v.} To move back; back away; step backward; withdraw; move away from. •/When the man spotted the rattlesnake, he drew back and aimed his shotgun./ •/The children drew back from the dog when it barked at them./ •/When the pitcher drew back his arm to pitch the ball, Tom ran as fast as he could to steal second base./ •/Some juice from the grapefruit that Father was eating squirted in his eye and he drew back in surprise./ Compare: DROP BACK.
[drawback]{n.} Disadvantage; obstacle; hindrance. •/The biggest drawback of Bill’s plan is the cost involved./
[draw blood]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make someone feel hurt or angry. •/If you want to draw blood, ask Jim about his last money-making scheme./ •/Her sarcastic comments drew blood./
[drawer] See: TOP-DRAWER.
[draw fire]{v. phr.} 1. To attract or provoke shooting; be a target. •/The general’s white horse drew the enemy’s fire./ 2. To bring criticism or argument; make people say bad things about you. •/Having the newest car in your group is sure to draw fire./
[drawing card]{n.} The most important figure in a multi-person event; the top entertainer during a show; the best professor or researcher at a university, etc. •/During the concert series Barbra Streisand was the biggest drawing card./ •/The biggest drawing card at many a university is the resident Nobel Laureate./
