Idioms D
 Daft as a brush  Someone who is daft as a brush is a little stupid
 Damp Squib  If something is expected to have a great effect or impact but doesn't, it is a damp squib.
 Dance on someone's grave  If you will dance on someone's grave, you will outlive or outlast them and will celebrate their passing away or dying
 Dark horse  If someone is a dark horse, they are a bit of a mystery
 Daylight robbery  You have been overcharged
 Dead and buried  If something is dead and buried, something has long been settled and is not going to be reconsidered
 Dead as a Dodo  If something's dead as a dodo, it is lifeless as in the Dodo bird
 Dead duck  If something is a dead duck, it is a failure
 Dead from the neck up  Someone who's dead from the neck up is very stupid indeed
 Dead in the water  If something is dead in the water, it isn't going anywhere or making any progress
 Deaf as a post  Someone who is as deaf as a post is unable to hear at all
 Dear John  Is a letter usually ending the relationship ie between a boyfriend and girlfriend
 Death warmed up  If someone looks like death warmed up, they look very ill
 Deep pockets and short arms  Someone who has money but never puts his hand in his pocket to pay for anything has deep pockets but short arms
 Devil may care  If you live a devil-may-care life it means you are willing to take more risks than most people
 Devil's advocate  If someone plays Devil's advocate in an argument, they adopt a position they don't believe in just for the sake of the  argument
 Dig your heals in  If you dig your heels in, you start to resist something
 Discerning eye  If a person has a discerning eye, they are particularly good at judging the quality of something
 Discretion is the better part of  valour  Means that it is often better to think carefully and not act than to do something that may cause problems
 Dish the dirt  If you dish the dirt on something or someone, you make unpleasant or shocking information public
 Do a runner  If for example a person leaves a restaurant without paying, they do a runner
 Do as you would be done
  Treat others as you would hope to be respected and treated by them
 Do their dirty work  Someone who does someone's dirty work, carries out the unpleasant jobs that the first person doesn't want to do
 Dog eat dog world  Is where there is intense competition and rivalry, where everybody thinks only of himself or herself
 Dog tired  If you are Dog tired, you are worn out or exhausted
 Dogs life  If someone is led a dogs life then are said to be treated badly
 Dog eared  If a book is dog-eared, it is in bad condition, with torn pages
 Doggy bag  If you ask for a doggy bag in a restaurant, they will pack the food you haven't eaten for you to take home
 Doldrums  If a person is in the doldrums, they are depressed
 Don't count your chickens before  they're hatched  This means that you should wait until you know whether something has produced the results you desire, rather than  acting beforehand
 Don't cry over spilt milk  When something bad happens and nothing can be done to help it people say, 'Don't cry over spilt milk
 Don't hold your breath  If you are told not to hold your breath, it means that you shouldn't have high expectations about something
 Don't judge a book by it's cover
  This means that you should not judge something or someone by appearances
 Don't look a gift horse in the  mouth
  This means that if you are given something, a present or a chance, you should not waste it by being too critical
 Don't upset the apple cart  If you are told not to upset the applecart, you are being told not to disturb the way things are done because it might ruin  things
 Dot all the I's and cross the T's
  If you dot all the i's and cross all the t's, you do something very carefully and thoroughly
 Double edged sword  Means that a decision is made that could go either way
 Down at heal
  Someone who is down at heel is short of money
 Down in the mouth  If  someone is down in the mouth, they look unhappy or depressed
 Down the pan  If something has gone down the pan, it has failed or been ruined
 Down to earth
  Someone who's down-to-earth is practical and realistic 
 Drag your heals  If you drag your heels, you either delay doing something or do it as slowly as possible because you don't want to do it
 Draw the line  If you draws a line , you establish a limit beyond which things will be unacceptable
 Dressed to kill  When someone is dressed to kill, they are dressed very smartly
 Drop a bombshell

 If someone drops a bombshell, they announce something that changes a situation drastically and unexpectedly
 Drop in the ocean  If someone drops a bombshell, they announce something that changes a situation drastically and unexpectedly
 Drown your sorrows  means to get drunk to forget your problems
 Dunkirk spirit  Dunkirk spirit is when people pull together to get through a very difficult time
www.Access2English.co.uk