Phrases Beginning With D

English Phrases, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because Phrases don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning Phrases is fun, especially when you compare English Phrases to the Phrases in your own language.

Phrases Beginning With D with Meaning and Example

Here’s a list of “Phrases Beginning With D” in English:

Damn the torpedoes

Meaning: To press ahead with a task despite risks.
Example: “Despite the warnings, he said, ‘Damn the torpedoes,’ and launched the new product.”

Dancing on air

Meaning: To be extremely happy.
Example: “She was dancing on air after getting the promotion.”

Dark horse

Meaning: Someone who unexpectedly wins or succeeds.
Example: “The candidate was a dark horse in the election, surprising everyone with his victory.”

Day in, day out

Meaning: Continuously, every day.
Example: “He works hard day in, day out to support his family.”

Dead ahead

Meaning: Directly in front.
Example: “The lighthouse was dead ahead, guiding the ships safely to shore.”

Dead as a doornail

Meaning: Completely dead.
Example: “The battery is dead as a doornail; it won’t even turn on.”

Dead end

Meaning: A situation with no prospects of progress.
Example: “The project turned out to be a dead end with no viable solutions.”

Dead in the water

Meaning: Inactive and making no progress.
Example: “Without funding, the new initiative is dead in the water.”

Dead of night

Meaning: The middle of the night.
Example: “The phone rang in the dead of night, startling everyone.”

Dead ringer

Meaning: An exact duplicate.
Example: “He’s a dead ringer for his father; they look exactly alike.”

Dear John letter

Meaning: A letter from a partner ending a relationship.
Example: “He received a dear John letter while stationed overseas.”

Death and taxes

Meaning: Inevitable things in life.
Example: “In life, only death and taxes are certain.”

Death warmed over

Meaning: To look extremely ill.
Example: “After the flu, he looked like death warmed over.”

Decked out

Meaning: Dressed up or decorated.
Example: “She was decked out in her finest clothes for the gala.”

Deep pockets

Meaning: Having a lot of money.
Example: “To fund the project, we need investors with deep pockets.”

Dime a dozen

Meaning: Very common and not special.
Example: “These trinkets are a dime a dozen at the market.”

Dirt cheap

Meaning: Extremely inexpensive.
Example: “I got these shoes dirt cheap at the clearance sale.”

Dog days

Meaning: The hottest days of summer.
Example: “The dog days of summer are perfect for a trip to the beach.”

Dog-eat-dog

Meaning: Ruthlessly competitive.
Example: “The corporate world can be dog-eat-dog.”

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

Meaning: Don’t assume success before it happens.
Example: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch; wait until you get the job offer.”

Don’t cry over spilled milk

Meaning: Don’t dwell on past mistakes.
Example: “It’s done now; there’s no use crying over spilled milk.”

Don’t give up the day job

Meaning: Stick to what you are good at.
Example: “Your singing is entertaining, but don’t give up the day job.”

Don’t hold your breath

Meaning: Don’t expect something to happen.
Example: “She said she might come, but don’t hold your breath.”

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Meaning: Don’t judge based on appearances.
Example: “He seems unkind, but don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

Meaning: Don’t find fault with something received as a gift.
Example: “Just accept the gift graciously; don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Meaning: Don’t risk everything on a single venture.
Example: “Diversify your investments; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

Don’t rain on my parade

Meaning: Don’t spoil someone’s plans or good mood.
Example: “I’m excited about my promotion, so don’t rain on my parade.”

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater

Meaning: Don’t discard something valuable while getting rid of something unwanted.
Example: “We need to revise the plan but don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

Double-edged sword

Meaning: Something that has both positive and negative consequences.
Example: “Technology is a double-edged sword; it helps but also creates new problems.”

Double whammy

Meaning: Two negative events happening at the same time.
Example: “Losing his job and getting sick was a real double whammy.”

Down and out

Meaning: Lacking funds or resources.
Example: “He’s been down and out since he lost his job.”

Down in the dumps

Meaning: Feeling depressed.
Example: “She’s been down in the dumps since her friend moved away.”

Down the drain

Meaning: Wasted or lost.
Example: “All that effort went down the drain when the project was canceled.”

Down the hatch

Meaning: A toast before drinking.
Example: “Here’s to your health! Down the hatch!”

Down to earth

Meaning: Practical and realistic.
Example: “Despite his fame, he’s very down to earth.”

Draw a blank

Meaning: Unable to remember or find something.
Example: “I tried to recall her name, but I drew a blank.”

Draw the line

Meaning: Set a limit on what one is willing to accept.
Example: “I’ll help you, but I draw the line at doing your homework for you.”

Dream come true

Meaning: Something greatly desired that happens.
Example: “Winning the lottery was a dream come true.”

Drive a hard bargain

Meaning: Be tough in negotiations.
Example: “She drives a hard bargain, but we finally reached an agreement.”

Drop a dime

Meaning: To inform on someone, especially to the authorities.
Example: “He decided to drop a dime on his co-conspirators.”

Drop in the bucket

Meaning: A very small part of something much larger.
Example: “The donation was just a drop in the bucket compared to what was needed.”

Drown one’s sorrows

Meaning: Drink alcohol to forget one’s problems.
Example: “After the breakup, he went to the bar to drown his sorrows.”

Drunk as a skunk

Meaning: Extremely drunk.
Example: “After the party, he was as drunk as a skunk.”

Dry run

Meaning: A practice session or rehearsal.
Example: “We’ll do a dry run of the presentation before the actual event.”

Dutch courage

Meaning: Confidence gained from drinking alcohol.
Example: “He needed a bit of Dutch courage to ask her out.”

Dwell on the past

Meaning: To think too much about past events.
Example: “Stop dwelling on the past and focus on the future.”

Dyed in the wool

Meaning: Having strong, unchanging beliefs.
Example: “He’s a dyed-in-the-wool conservative.”

Dressed to kill

Meaning: Wearing very stylish or glamorous clothes.
Example: “She arrived at the party dressed to kill.”

Different strokes for different folks

Meaning: People have different tastes or preferences.
Example: “He likes rock music, she prefers classical; different strokes for different folks.”

Dead set against

Meaning: Firmly opposed to something.
Example: “She’s dead set against the new policy.”

Devil’s advocate

Meaning: Someone who argues a contrary point for the sake of debate.
Example: “To ensure we cover all bases, I’ll play devil’s advocate.”

Diamond in the rough

Meaning: Someone or something with potential but lacking refinement.
Example: “The young actor is a diamond in the rough.”

Do or die

Meaning: A critical situation with only one chance for success.
Example: “This game is do or die for the team.”

Drag one’s feet

Meaning: To delay or be slow in doing something.
Example: “He’s dragging his feet on finishing the project.”

Dull as dishwater

Meaning: Very boring.
Example: “The lecture was as dull as dishwater.”

Do a double take

Meaning: To look again in surprise.
Example: “I had to do a double take when I saw him in a tuxedo.”

Done to death

Meaning: Overused or worn out.
Example: “That plot has been done to death in movies.”

Drive someone up the wall

Meaning: To irritate or annoy someone greatly.
Example: “Her constant whining is driving me up the wall.”

Drop the ball

Meaning: Fail to do something properly.
Example: “He really dropped the ball on this assignment.”

Darkest before the dawn

Meaning: Things often seem worst just before they improve.
Example: “Don’t give up; it’s always darkest before the dawn.”

Duck soup

Meaning: Very easy or simple.
Example: “For him, fixing the car was duck soup.”

Done deal

Meaning: Something that has been firmly decided or arranged.
Example: “The merger is a done deal.”

Dirt poor

Meaning: Extremely poor.
Example: “They grew up dirt poor but worked their way to success.”

Down for the count

Meaning: Defeated or out of action.
Example: “After a long day at work, he was down for the count.”

Down to the wire

Meaning: At the last possible moment.
Example: “The project was completed down to the wire.”

Drive me nuts

Meaning: To make someone very annoyed or crazy.
Example: “The constant noise is driving me nuts.”

Dropping like flies

Meaning: People are falling ill or dying in large numbers.
Example: “During the flu season, employees were dropping like flies.”

Dead air

Meaning: A period of silence during a broadcast.
Example: “The unexpected technical issue caused dead air on the radio.”

Deer in headlights

Meaning: Being so frightened or surprised that you cannot move or think.
Example: “When asked a tough question, he looked like a deer in headlights.”

Dodge a bullet

Meaning: To narrowly avoid a difficult situation.
Example: “We dodged a bullet by catching the error early.”

Doggy bag

Meaning: A bag for taking home leftovers from a restaurant.
Example: “Can I get a doggy bag for the rest of my meal?”

Don’t sweat it

Meaning: Don’t worry about it.
Example: “You made a mistake, but don’t sweat it.”

Double take

Meaning: To look twice in surprise.
Example: “She did a double take when she saw her old friend after years.”

Down in the dumps

Meaning: Feeling sad or depressed.
Example: “He’s been down in the dumps since his pet died.”

Down the drain

Meaning: Wasted effort or resources.
Example: “All their savings went down the drain with the bad investment.”

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

Meaning: Don’t assume something will happen before it does.
Example: “She’s already planning how to spend the money, but she shouldn’t count her chickens before they hatch.”

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

Meaning: Don’t find fault with something received as a gift.
Example: “Just be grateful for the present; don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Down and out