160+ List of Idioms Starting with D | Idioms with Meaning

Idioms Starting with D | An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase. Some phrases which become figurative idioms, however, do retain the phrase’s literal meaning. Categorized as formulaic language, an idiom’s figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning.

Here are the list some of the Idioms starting with D:

Idioms Starting With D

Sr. No.	Idioms	Meaning
1	Daft as a brush	Someone who is daft as a brush is rather stupid.
2	Damp squib	If something is expected to have a great effect or impact but doesn’t, it is a damp squib.
3	Dancing on someone’s grave	If you will dance on someone’s grave, you will outlive or outlast them and will celebrate their demise.
4	Dark horse	If someone is a dark horse, they are a bit of a mystery.
5	Davey Jones’ locker	Davey Jones’ locker is the bottom of the sea or resting place of drowned sailors.(‘Davy Jones’ locker’ is an alternative spelling.)
6	Day in the sun	If you have your day in the sun, you get attention and are appreciated.
7	Daylight robbery	If you are overcharged or underpaid, it is a daylight robbery; open, unfair and hard to prevent. Rip-off has a similar meaning.
8	Days are numbered	When someone’s days are numbered, they are expected to die soon.
9	Dead air	When there is a period of total silence, there is dead air.
10	Dead and buried	If something is dead and buried, it has all long been settled and is not going to be reconsidered.
11	Dead as a dodo	If something’s dead as a dodo, it is lifeless and dull. The dodo was a bird that lived the island of Mauritius. It couldn’t fly and was hunted to extinction.
12	Dead as a doornail	This is used to indicate that something is lifeless.
13	Dead duck	If something is a dead duck, it is a failure.
14	Dead even	If people competing are dead even, they are at exactly the same stage or moving at exactly the same speed.
15	Dead from the neck up	Someone who’s dead from the neck up is very stupid indeed.
16	Dead heat	If a race ends in a dead heat, two or more finish with exactly the same result.
17	Dead in the water	If something is dead in the water, it isn’t going anywhere or making any progress.
18	Dead level best	If you try your dead level best, you try as hard as you possibly could to do something.
19	Dead man walking	A dead man walking is someone who is in great trouble and will certainly get punished, lose their job or position, etc, soon.
20	Dead meat	This is used as a way of threatening someone: You’ll be dead meat if you don’t go along.

Read More – Simple Present Tense Example in Hindi

21	Dead men’s shoes	If promotion or success requires replacing somebody, then it can only be reached by dead men’s shoes’ by getting rid of them.
22	Dead right	This means that something or someone is absolutely correct, without doubt.
23	Dead to the world	If somebody’s fast asleep and completely unaware of what if happening around them, he or she’s dead to the world.
24	Dead wrong	If someone is dead wrong, they are absolutely in error, absolutely incorrect or of incorrect opinion.
25	Deaf as a post	Someone who is as deaf as a post is unable to hear at all.
26	Dear John letter	A letter written by a partner explaining why they are ending the relationship is a Dear John letter.
27	Death of a thousand cuts	If something is suffering the death of a thousand cuts, or death by a thousand cuts, lots of small bad things are happening, none of which are fatal in themselves, but which add up to a slow and painful demise.
28	Death warmed up	If someone looks like death warmed up, they look very ill indeed. (‘death warmed over’ is the American form)
29	Decorate the mahogany	When someone buys a round a pub or bar, they decorate the mahogany; putting cash on the bar.
30	Deep pockets	If someone has deep pockets, they are wealthy.
31	Deep pockets but short arms	Someone who has money but never puts his hand in his pocket to pay for anything has deep pockets but short arms.
32	Deer in the headlights	When one is caught offguard and needs to make a decision, but cannot react quickly.
33	Deliver the goods	Do what is required, come up to expectations. For example, Kate delivered the goods and got us the five votes we needed. This phrase alludes to delivering an order of groceries or other items. [Colloquial; second half of 1800s]
34	Demon weed	Tobacco is the demon weed.
35	Derring-do	If a person shows derring-do, they show great courage.
36	Devil finds work for idle hands	When people say that the devil finds work for idle hands, they mean that if people don’t have anything to do with their time, they are more likely to get involved in trouble and criminality.
37	Devil is in the detail	When people say that the devil in the detail, they mean that small things in plans and schemes that are often overlooked can cause serious problems later on.
38	Devil may care	If you live a devil-may-care life it means you are willing to take more risks than most people.
39	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.
40	Diamond in the rough	A diamond in the rough is someone or something that has great potential, but isn’t not refined and polished.

41	Die is cast	If the die is cast, a decision has been made that cannot be altered and fate will decide the consequences.
42	Different kettle of fish	If something is a different kettle of fish, it is very different from the other things referenced.
43	Different ropes for different folks	This idiom means that different people do things in different ways that suit them.
44	Different strokes for different folks	This idiom means that different people do things in different ways that suit them.
45	Dig way down deep	When someone digs way down deep, they look into their inner feelings to see how they feel about it.
46	Dig your heels in	If you dig your heels in, you start to resist something.
47	Dime a dozen	If something is a dime a dozen, it is extremely common, possibly too common.
48	Dine on ashes	I someone is dining on ashes he or she is excessively focusing attention on failures or regrets for past actions.
49	Dinosaur	A dinosaur is a person who is thought to be too old for their position.
50	Dip your toes in the water	If you dip your toes in the water, you try something tentatively because you are not sure whether it will work or not.
51	Dirty dog	A dirty dog is an untrustworthy person.
52	Discerning eye	If a person has a discerning eye, they are particularly good at judging the quality of something.
53	Discretion is the better part of valour	This idiom means that it is often better to think carefully and not act than to do something that may cause problems.
54	Dish the dirt	If you dish the dirt on something or someone, you make unpleasant or shocking information public.
55	Do a Devon Loch	If someone does a Devon Loch, they fail when they were very close to winning. Devon Loch was a horse that collapsed just short of the winning line of the Grand National race.
56	Do a Lord Lucan	If someone disappears without a trace or runs off, they do a Lord Lucan. (Lord Lucan disappeared after a murder)
57	Do a runner	If people leave a restaurant without paying, they do a runner.
58	Do as you would be done by	Treat and respect others as you would hope to be respected and treated by them.
59	Do the needful	If you do the needful, you do what is necessary.
60	Do the running	The person who has to do the running has to make sure that things get done. (‘Make the running’ is also used.)

61	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. Someone who seems to enjoy doing this is sometimes known as a ‘henchman’.
62	Do’s and don’t’s	The do’s and don’t’s are what is acceptable or allowed or not within an area or issue, etc.
63	Dodge the bullet	If someone has dodged a bullet, they have successfully avoided a very serious problem.
64	Dog and pony show	A dog and pony show is a presentation or some marketing that has lots of style, but no real content.
65	Dog days	Dog days are very hot summer days.
66	Dog eat dog	In a dog eat dog world, there is intense competition and rivalry, where everybody thinks only of himself or herself.
67	Dog in the manger	If someone acts like a dog in the manger, they don’t want other people to have or enjoy things that are useless to them.
68	Dog tired	If you are dog tired, you are exhausted.
69	Dog’s dinner	Something that is a dog’s dinner is a real mess.
70	Dog’s life	If some has a dog’s life, they have a very unfortunate and wretched life.
71	Dog-eared	If a book is dog-eared, it is in bad condition, with torn pages, etc.
72	Dog-whistle politics	When political parties have policies that will appeal to racists while not being overtly racist, they are indulging in dog-whistle politics.
73	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.
74	Doldrums	If a person is in the doldrums, they are depressed. If a project or something similar is in the doldrums, it isn’t making any progress.
75	Dollars for doughnuts	If something is dollars for doughnuts, it is a sure bet or certainty.
76	Don’t bite the hand that feeds	When someone says this to you, they are trying to tell you not to act against those on whom you depend.
77	Don’t catch 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 count your chickens until they’ve hatched’ is an alternative.)
78	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’.
79	Don’t give up the day job	This idiom is used a way of telling something that they do something badly.
80	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.

81	Don’t judge a book by the cover	This idiom means that you should not judge something or someone by appearances, but should look deeper at what is inside and more important.
82	Don’t know whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon	If you don’t know what to do, you don’t know whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon.
83	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 or examining it too closely.
84	Don’t mention the war	This means that you shouldn’t speak about things that could cause an argument or tension.This idiom was used in a classic episode of the much-loved British comedy series Fawlty Towers. As a consequence if you use this phrase in Britain, listeners will understand you to be referring to Germans, or just start laughing.
85	Don’t push my buttons!	This can be said to someone who is starting to annoy you.
86	Don’t shoot the messenger	This phrase can be used when breaking some bad news to someone and you don’t want to be blamed for the news. (‘Don’t kill the messenger’ is also used.)
87	Don’t stand there with curlers in your hair	This means ‘don’t keep me waiting’. It’s said to someone who is taking too long to get moving.
88	Don’t sweat the small stuff	This is used to tell people not to worry about trivial or unimportant issues.
89	Don’t take any wooden nickels	This idiom is used to advise people not to be cheated or ripped off.
90	Don’t throw bricks when you live in a glass house	Don’t call others out on actions that you, yourself do. Don’t be a hypocrite.
91	Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you	Don’t go looking for trouble or problems- let them come to you.
92	Don’t upset the applecart	If you are advised not to upset the applecart, you are being told not to disturb the way things are done because it might ruin things.
93	Don’t wash your dirty laundry in public	People, especially couples, who argue in front of others or involve others in their personal problems and crises, are said to be washing their dirty laundry in public; making public things that are best left private. (In American English, ‘don’t air your dirty laundry in public’ is used.)
94	Done to death	If a joke or story has been done to death, it has been told so often that it has stopped being funny.
95	Donkey work	Donkey work is any hard, boring work or task.
96	Donkey’s years	This idiom means ‘a very long time’.
97	Doormat	A person who doesn’t stand up for themselves and gets treated badly is a doormat.
98	Dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s	If you dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s, you do something very carefully and thoroughly.
99	Double Dutch	If something is double Dutch, it is completely incomprehensible.
100	Double take	If someone does a double take, they react very slowly to something to show how shocked or surprised they are.

101	Double whammy	A double whammy is when something causes two problems at the same time, or when two setbacks occur at the same time.
102	Double-edged sword	If someone uses an argument that could both help them and harm them, then they are using a double-edged sword sword; it cuts both ways.
103	Doubting Thomas	A Doubting Thomas is someone who only believes what they see themselves, not what they are told.
104	Down and out	If someone is down and out, they are desperately poor and need help.
105	Down at heel	Someone who is down at heel is short of money. (‘Down in heel’ is used in American English)
106	Down for the count	If someone is down for the count, they have lost a struggle, like a boxer who has been knocked out.
107	Down in the doldrums	If somebody’s down in the doldrums, they are depressed and lacking energy.
108	Down in the dumps	If someone’s down in the dumps, they are depressed.
109	Down in the mouth	If someone is down in the mouth, they look unhappy or depressed.
110	Down the drain	If something goes down the drain, especially money or work, it is wasted or produces no results.
111	Down the hatch	This idiom can be said before drinking alcohol in company.
112	Down the pan	If something has gone down the pan, it has failed or been ruined.
113	Down the tubes	If something has gone down the tubes, it has failed or been ruined.
114	Down to the wire	If something goes down to the wire, like a competition, then it goes to the very last moment before it is clear who has won.
115	Down-to-earth	Someone who’s down-to-earth is practical and realistic. It can also be used for things like ideas.
116	Drag your feet	If someone is dragging their feet, they are taking too long to do or finish something, usually because they don’t want to do it.
117	Drag your heels	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.
118	Draw a blank	If you try to find something out and draw a blank, you don’t get any useful information.
119	Draw a line in the sand	If you draw a line in the sand, you establish a limit beyond which things will be unacceptable.
120	Draw a long bow	If someone draws a long bow, they lie or exaggerate.

121	Draw the line	When you draw the line, you set out limits of what you find acceptable, beyond which you will not go.
122	Draw the shortest straw	If someone draws the shortest straw, they lose or are chosen to do something unpleasant.
123	Dress someone down	If you dress someone down, you scold them.
124	Dress to kill	When someone is dressed to kill, they are dressed very smartly.
125	Dressed to the nines	If you are in your very best clothes, you’re dressed to the nines.
126	Drink like a fish	If someone drinks like a fish, they drink far too much alcohol.
127	Drive a wedge	If you drive a wedge between people, you exploit an issue so that people start to disagree.
128	Drive home	The idiomatic expression ‘drive home’ means ‘reinforce’ as in ‘The company offered unlimited technical support as a way to drive home the message that customer satisfaction was its highest priority.’
129	Drive someone up the wall	If something or someone drives you up the wall, they do something that irritates you greatly.
130	Drive you spare	If someone or something drives you spare, it is extremely annoying.
131	Driven by a motor	This is used to describe people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when they talk excessively: ‘they act as if driven by a motor.’
132	Drop a bombshell	If someone drops a bombshell, they announce something that changes a situation drastically and unexpectedly.
133	Drop a dime	If you tell someone to drop a dime, you’re suggesting he or she telephone you at some future time.
134	Drop in the bucket	A drop in the bucket is something so small that it won’t make any noticeable difference.
135	Drop in the ocean	A drop in the ocean implies that something will have little effect because it is small and mostly insignificant.
136	Drop into your lap	If something drops into your lap, you receive it suddenly, without any warning. (‘Fall into your lap’ is also used.)
137	Drop like flies	This means that something is disappearing very quickly. For example, if you said people were dropping like flies, it would mean that they were dying off, quitting or giving up something rapidly.
138	Drop someone a line	If you drop someone a line, you send a letter to them.
139	Drop the ball	If someone drops the ball, they are not doing their job or taking their responsibilities seriously enough and let something go wrong.
140	Dropped like a hot cake	If something is dropped like a hot cake, it is rejected or disposed of very quickly.

141	Drown your sorrows	If someone gets drunk or drinks a lot to try to stop feeling unhappy, they drown their sorrows.
142	Drunk as a lord	Someone who is very drunk is as drunk as a lord.
143	Drunker than a peach orchard boar	Southern US expression – Very drunk, as when a boar would eat fermented peaches that have fallen from the tree.
144	Dry as a bone	If your lawn is as dry as a bone, the soil is completely dry.
145	Dry as snuff	If something is as dry as snuff, it is very dry indeed.
146	Dry run	A dry run is a full rehearsal or trial exercise of something to see how it will work before it is launched.
147	Dry spell	If something or someone is having a dry spell, they aren’t being as successful as they normally are.
148	Duck soup	If something is duck soup, it is very easy.
149	Duck to water	If you take to something like a duck to water, you find when you start that you have a natural affinity for it.
150	Ducks in a row	If you have your ducks in a row, you are well-organized.
151	Dull as ditchwater	If something is as dull as ditchwater, it is incredibly boring. A ditch is a long narrow hole or trench dug to contain water, which is normally a dark, dirty colour and stagnant (when water turns a funny colour and starts to smell bad). (In American English,’things are ‘dull as dishwater’.)
152	Dumb as a rock	If you are dumb as a rock, you have no common sense and are stupid.
153	Dunkirk spirit	Dunkirk spirit is when people pull together to get through a very difficult time.
154	Dutch auction	If something is sold by setting a price, then reducing it until someone buys it, it is sold in a Dutch auction. It can also mean that something is changed until it is accepted by everyone.
155	Dutch courage	Dutch courage is the reckless bravery caused by drinking too much.
156	Dutch treat	If something like a meal is a Dutch treat, then each person pays their own share of the bill.
157	Dutch uncle	A Dutch uncle is a person who gives unwelcome advice.
158	Dutch wife	A Dutch wife is a long pillow or a hot water bottle.
159	Dwell on the past	Thinking too much about the past, so that it becomes a problem is to dwell on the past.
160	Dyed-in-the-wool	If someone is a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of a political party, etc, they support them totally, without any questions.