Sayings and Expressions that begin with the letter "D" from "Dance with the one that brought you" to "Dyed in the wool"

If man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.
Henry David Thoreau 1854

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DANCE WITH THE ONE THAT BROUGHT YOU---Be true and loyal to those who have stood by you; stick with something that has been successful in the past.

DARK HORSE---Unknown; not recognized---"He certainly is the dark horse candidate."---At one time it was the practice by some horse racing owners to dye the hair of a well known horse in order to get better odds. Such a horse became known as a dark horse since they couldn't make the horse lighter. Benjamin Disreaeli (1831) The Young Duke "A dark horse, which had never been thought of rushed past the grand stand in sweeping triumph."

DAWNED ON ME---Finally became apparent.---"I should have known, but it just never dawned on me."---Harriet Beecher Stowe used the phrase in Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)

DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT---Never prepared; undependable.---"Gary is always a day late and a dollar short."---Always late, never has any money, just totally unorganized and lacks responsibility.

DEAD AS A DOORNAIL---Totally unresponsive.---"He was as dead as a doornail."---(alliteration) A large headed nail used to stud a door for decoration or reinforcement. (1350) The Romance of William of Palerne "For but ich haue bote of mi bale I am ded as a dorenail." Nashe Works "Wee'l strike it as dead as a door-nail."

DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES---Get rid of a witness.---J. Wilson (1664) Andron Comminius "Twere best to knock them I' Th' head, the dead tell no tales."

DEAD OF NIGHT---Quietest time of the night.---Hall (1548) Cronicle "In the dedde of the night he brake up his camp and fled."

DEAD RINGER---Look exactly alike.---"He is a dead ringer for his brother."---In horse racing a better horse, that was a dead ringer for another, was substituted in a race and with the odds on the slower horse the owners would make big money.

new! DEAD SOLDIER---Empty bottle of beer; empty drink.---"How long have you been drinking?, you have a lot of dead soldiers there."---Empty bottles laying on the ground reminds one of a battle field scene.

DEAD TO RIGHTS---Without possibility of error; red handed.---"We've got him dead to rights."---The San Francisco newspaper City Argus (1881) news story: "A man attempted to get into Banker Sather's cash box and was caught 'dead to rights' and now languishes in the city Bastille."

new! DEAR JOHN---A letter from a girlfriend or wife, usually received by a serviceman, informing him that his services would no longer be needed.---"Larry is upset today, he just got a Dear John letter."---WWII GI expression. When you got a letter from your girlfriend that started: "Dear ---------" you knew you might be in trouble. John was a common name so it was used to describe all such letters.

DEEP SIX---In oblivion; discarded; bury.---"They gave him the deep six."---Originally to be buried.

DEN OF THIEVES---An unsavory group; a place where one has to be on one's guard.---"The Congress has turned into a den of thieves."---Bible: Matthew 21:13 "Jesus said unto them. It is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

new! DERRICK---A term sometimes used today when referring to power equipment used to lift, crane etc. Originally a hangman's apparatus named after Godfrey Derrick, who practiced his craft on a large clientele at Tyburn prison. Note: It has been estimatee that 50,000 people were executed there between 1196 and 1783, incluking Derrick himself in 1601.

DEVIL INCARNATE---A particularly evil person.---"He was the devil incarnate."---John Purvey Remonstrances Against Romish Corruption of the Church "A son of perdicioun, and devil incarnat."

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH---An unpolished or inexperienced person who shows promise.---"He is going to go a long way in this business, he is a diamond in the rough."---John Fletcher (1624) A Wife for a Month "She is very honest, and will be hard to cut as a rough diamond."

DID A SLOW BURN---Progressing from annoyed to angry.---"I could tell old Joe was doing a slow burn." (1930's) Made famous by the facial expressions of comedian Leo Carroll.

new! DIDDY---Small.---"How do you like this little diddy."---Originally diddy was a diaper. Diddy bag: diaper bag.

DIDDLY SQUAT---Small amount; nothing.---"He knows diddly squat about history."---Carneys who traveled from town to town working county fairs developed their own private language to use in front of potential gamblers at games of chance. Diddle-e-squat seems to have referred to a nickel or a dime, the going rate for a game of chance.

DIE IS CAST---No changes can be made; the step is taken---"The die has been cast, we can only wait now." Shakespeare (1594) Richard III "I have set my like upon a cast, and I will stand the hazard of the die."

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS---The approach to different people should be individualized; different people like different things.

new! DINGLEBERRIES---Someone searched the site for this so here it is.---Small pieces of feces that cling to the hairs around the anal area. They may also cause "skid marks" (the marks in your underwear that resemble marks on the pavement left by a skidding automobile).---A person you hold in low esteem can also be a "dingleberry". You fill out your own syntax, i'm done with this."________________________________________________"

new! DIPSTICK---Slang expression for a fool or idiot.---"My new boss is a real dipstick."

DIRT CHEAP---Extremely low priced.---"I bought this car dirt cheap."---(1821) Blackwell's Magazine "Dirt cheap, indeed, it was, as well it might."

DIRTY DOG---Someone judged as despicable.---"You dirty dog."---Sherard Vines (1928) Humours Unreconciled "Who's been calling me a dirty dog, I should like to know?"

new! DISCOMBOBULATE---Confuse; disconcerting.---"He tries to tell me three things at once, I get all discombobulated."---Whimsical alliteration of discomfit.

DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR---Think hard before you jump into a heroic situation; exercise caution.---Shakespeare (1597) Henry IV "The better part of valor is discretion." Ray (1670). "Valor can do little without discretion."

DIVIDE AND CONQUER---Secure a victory by causing your opponents to quarrel among themselves.---Bible: Matthew 12:25 "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand."

DIZZY---Foolish; stupid.---"She sure is dizzy."---Clarke (1639) "As dizzy as a goose."

DO AN ABOUT FACE---Drastically change one's attitude; make a 180 degree turn.---"He was dead set against marriage but since he met Carol he has done an about face."---In military drill one pivots about 180 degrees and faces the opposite direction.---John Strype (1790) Annals of the Reformation "He had been a very zealous protestant, but under Queen Mary came about, and was as hot the other way."

DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO---Do as I tell you, it is the right thing, even though I do not follow my own teaching.---Heywood (1546) Proverbs "It is as folke dooe, and not as folde saie."

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT---Don't give up; never say die.---Thomas Dylan (1952) "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

DO OR DIE---Succeed or die trying.---Walter Scott (1577.) Robert Burns (1794.) Scots Wha Hae. "Lay the proud usurpers low!; Tyrants fall in every foe!; Liberty's in every blow!; Let us dor or die!" Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1854) The Charge of the Light Brigade "Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do or die."

DOES A BEAR SHIT IN THE WOODS---Of course; yes.---Used as a response to a question with an obvious answer.

DOESN'T HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON---To be in a weak position; indefensible position; not supported by law.---"He is in a mess now, he doesn't have a leg to stand on."---John Neil (1825) Brother Jonathan "As if the Yankee man were determined to leave the brigadier without a leg to stand upon, as a lawyer would say."

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER---Very hottest days of summer.---The ancient Romans believed that the six or eight hottest days of summer were caused by the Dog Star, Sirius' rising with the sun and adding its heat to the day. They called these days Cuniculares Dies or "dog days."

DONE TO A TURN---Perfectly done.---"The meat was done to a turn."---Usually associated with cooking. If meat is cooked on a spit there is one point in time, one last turn, when the meat is done to perfection. (1780) (magazine) The Mirror "The beef was done to a turn."

DONNYBROOK---All out fracas; melee.---"They had a real donnybrook across the street last night."---The town of Donnybrook in County Dublin, Ireland, was for generations the scene of a yearly bash. In connection with a fair held there, revelers made it a custom to drink and celebrate to excess which gave rise to many fistfights.

DON'T BEAT AROUND THE BUSH---Get to the point.---Wilson (1560) Retorique "If he would tell it orderly, without going about the bush."

DON'T BELIEVE EVERY THING YOU HEAR---People lie.---Lord Vaux (1562) Poems "Believe not euery speache."

DON'T BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW---Don't try to do more than you can realistically handle.---

DON'T BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU---Be good to those who take care of you.---Fuller (1732) "Cast no dirt into the well that hath given you water."

DON'T CHANGE HORSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREAM---Once you have chosen a course of action stick with it.---"He had better stay with the team he is playing with, I don't think he will do well if he changes horses in the middle of the stream."

DON'T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS UNTIL THEY ARE HATCHED---Don't depend on something until you actually have it.---Philemore Misogonous. "My chickings are not hatcht, nil to count of him as yet."

DON'T CRY OVER SPILLED MILK---Don't cry over something that has been lost or cannot be changed; get on with it.---"Let's start over, there is no use crying over spilled milk."---Aesop "The thyrd doctrine is that thou take no sorrowe of the thynge lost whiche may not be recovered. Draxe (1633) "The water that is past cannot make the mill goe."

DON'T CRY UNTIL YOU ARE HURT---Don't be premature in complaining.---(1548) Reliq. Antique "You may the better understand that I cry not before I am pricked."

DON'T GET YOUR SHORTS ALL BUNCHED UP---Don't get upset.

DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP---Don't quit; hang in there.---Captain James Lawrence (1813.) Commander of the U.S. frigate Chesapeake being fatally wounded in a battle with the British frigate Shannon on June 1, 1813, ordered his sailors not to give up their ship. "Tell the men to fire faster and not to give up the ship; fight her till she sinks."

DON'T HIT A MAN WHEN HE IS DOWN---Don't attack someone who is already hurt.---Thomas Cranmer (1551) Answer to Gairdner

DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH---If you are waiting for something to happen, don't, it is unlikely.---"They say they are going to lower taxes but don't hold your breath."

DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER---Don't judge things by their appearance only.---(1929) American Speech

DON'T JUDGE A MAN UNTIL YOU HAVE WALKED A MILE IN HIS SHOES---Don't criticize another person's life until you've been forced to live it; until you have been in that person's situation.

DON'T KILL THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGG---Don't destroy a source of future profits out of greed.---Aesop (550 B.C.) The Goose With The Golden Eggs Tells about a farmer whose goose started laying golden eggs. But he wanted all the gold he could get and he wanted it immediately. Aesop writes: "Thinking to get at once all the gold the goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find nothing."

new! DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER---Don't blame the person who brings bad news.---"Don't get upset with Harry, he is just the messenger, he had nothing to do with the situation."---Shakespeare (1598.) Henry IV. "Yet the first bringer of unwelcome news, hath but a losing office, and his tongue sounds ever after as a sullen bell, remember'd knolling a departing friend."---Shakespeare (1606) Antony and Cleopatra "Come hither , sir. Though it be honest, it is never good to bring bad news."

DON'T LEAD WITH YOUR CHIN---Don't expose yourself to danger; don't expose your own vulnerability.---

DON'T LET ANY GRASS GROW UNDER YOUR FEET---Keep busy.---"He is not letting any grass grow under his feet."---(1707) Spanish Bawd "I have not been idle, I have not let grass grow under my feet."

DON'T LET SCHOOL STAND IN THE WAY OF YOUR EDUCATION---The things you learn in school are just a foundation for learning.---One of my fathers favorites, he believed in a well rounded education and thought people should strive to be as informed and self reliant as possible. He had some disdain for "professional" people, who left to their own devices, didn't have enough sense to pack sand in a rat hole.

DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE ASS---Get out of here and be in a hurry about it.

DON'T LET THE FOX GUARD THE HENHOUSE---Don't assign a job to someone who will then be in a position to exploit it for his own needs.---(1589) Contre-League

DON'T LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH---Take what is given to you without looking at it too critically.---John Standbridge (1510) "A gyuen hors may not be loked in the tethe."

DON'T MAKE LOVE BY THE GARDEN GATE, BECAUSE LOVE IS BLIND BUT THE NEIGHBORS AIN'T---Someone is always watching what we do; when you get caught up in emotion you tend to ignore the things around you.

DON'T PULL ANY PUNCHES---In acting a punch is pulled back and not actually struck.---"Don't pull any punches, give him what he has coming."

DON'T PUT YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET---Don't rely on one source; risk everything on one venture.---"He shouldn't put all his eggs in one basket."---If someone carries two baskets and drops one, only half the eggs are lost.---Spalmer (1710) Moral Essays on Proverbs "don't venture all your eggs in one basket."

DON'T START SOMETHING YOU CAN'T FINISH---Don't get involved in something without the prospect of finishing.---Draxe (1633) "Better never to begin than never to make an end."

DON'T STIR SHIT, IT STINKS---Leave a bad situation alone, it may end up hurting you more or causing a bigger mess.---Heywood (1546) Proverbs "Ever the more it is stirred, the more to stink."

DON'T TAKE ANY WOODEN NICKELS---A friendly warning to the unsuspecting or easily duped.---Wooden nickels were said to have been make by those unwilling to earn an honest living. As the nickel piece of 1857 was only worth a cent it was a unrewarding enterprise, but gave rise to the phrase.

DON'T THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND---Don't make careless and risky moves.---B. Grebanier (1965) The Great Shakespeare

DON'T THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER---Keep what is good, don't get rid of everything because of some bad things.---There was a time, due to the amount of work to secure and heat bath water, when everyone in the family would use the same bath water. The head of the house bathed first, the other men, the women and then the children. When it came time to bathe the children one can easily see the somewhat comical picture of the baby being lost in the murky water and being thrown out with it.

DON'T TRY TO TEACH A PIG TO SING (It irritates the pig and wastes your time.)
new! DOODAD---Trinket or any object which one forgets the name for.---"He has a bunch of those little doodads laying around."

new! DORK---One who is ungainly.---"Jim is a real dork."---Possibly from "dorking" a breed of domestic fowl that is ungainly in appearence.

DOSE OF HIS OWN MEDICINE---Treat him the way he has treated others.---"He should have a dose of his own medicine."---Paul L. Ford (1894) The Honorable Peter Stirling "He snubbed me,' explained Miss DeVoe, smiling slightly at the thought of treating Peter with a dose of his medicine."

DOT THE I'S AND CROSS THE T'S---Be thorough; pay attention to detail.---"Don't forget to dot your i's and cross your t's."---William Tyndale (1540) The Obedience of a Christian Man "They have so narrowlye loked on my transplatyon, that there is not so much as one I therin if it lacke a thrle over his hed, but they have noted it."

DOWN AND OUT---In poor financial, social or physical condition.---"He has lost his job, he is down and out now."---Usually a change from a position one was in previously. Related to a boxer being knocked out in the ring.---O. Henry (1904) Heart of the West "Then he delivered the good Saxon knock out blow and Garcia was down and out.

DOWN IN THE DUMPS---Dispirited; unhappy.---"She is all down in the dumps over the breakup."---Sir Thomas More (1529) A Dialoge of Comforte Against Tribulation "What heapes of heauyness, hath of late fallen among us already, with which some of our poore familye bee fallen into suche dumpes."

DOWN IN THE MOUTH---Glum; dispirited.---"Joe looks all down in the mouth this morning."---Bishop Joseph Hall (1649) Cases of Conscience "The Roman Orator was down in the mouth; finding himself thus cheated by the money changer."

new! DOWN THE HATCH---Drink it all.---Down the throat, an allusion to throwing something down the hatch of a ship.

new! DOWN TO A GNAT'S ASS---Fine detail; precision.---"It fits perfectly, he's got it down to a gnats ass."

DRAGGED THROUGH A KNOTHOLE BACKWARD---Looking very bad---"She looks as though she was dragged through a knothole backwards."

DRESSED FIT TO KILL---Spiffily turned out; nattily or showily attired.---"Did you see Karen, she was dressed fit to kill."---"Kill" means to wow or impress as in "Kill them with kindness".---Sir Richard Steele (1711) The Spectator "If they [handsome people] do not kill at first sight, as the phrase is , a second interview disarms them of all their power." John Keats (1818) "One chap was dressed to kill for the king in bombasts."

DRESSED TO THE NINES---Nattily turned out. (see dressed fit to kill).---"She showed up at the dance dressed to the nines."---(Possible) "eyne" the old plural for eye, and the phrase "to the eyne" meant to the eyes.

DRIVE UP A WALL---Annoy severely.---"I can't help it, that guy just drives me up a wall."---Old saying: Drive to the wall. Heywood (1546) Proverbs "That deede without woords shall drive him to the wall. And further than the wall he can not to."

DROP IN THE BUCKET---Insignificant amount.---"That's just a drop in the bucket."---Bible: Isaiah 40:15 "Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance...."

DRY AS A BONE---It is hard for your bones to get wet.---"I thought it was leaking but it is as dry as a bone."---Marryat (1834) Simple "Here, Peter, take mine, it's as dry as a bone."

new! DROP THE HAMMER---To shoot; severely punish or chastise.---"He goofed up again, she's going to drop the hammer on him this time."---Originally referred to the hammer on a gun. You cocked the hammer and when the trigger was pulled the hammer came down firing the weapon.

new! DUKES---Fists; hands.---The old expression was, "put up your dukes". This would occur in preparation for a fist fight. Certainly a reference to the Duke of York. His prowess with dueling and fist fighting were legendary.

new! DUKES MIXTURE---A little bit of this and a little bit of that; no particular formula.---"I don't know what breed of dog he is, he's a dukes mixture."---(Possible) Dukes are referred to as fists or hands. Someone grabbing up handfuls of ingredients, throwing them together and mixing them by hand may be an origin for this expression?

DUMB LIKE A FOX---Smart and resourceful; one who plays dumb but knows exactly what he is doing.---"He knows what is going on, he is dumb like a fox."---(Oxy.) The fox has been celebrated for centuries as a crafty animal. It was remarked about in the Trinity College Homilies, dating from about 1200.

DUMBER THAN A BOX OF ROCKS---Not very intelligent.---"The boy is dumber than a box of rocks."---No caption necessary.

DUTCH TREAT---An entertainment for which each participant pays his own share.---"Linda and I are going on a date, we are going Dutch treat."---(19th Century). An expression probably referring to the thrifty habits of the Dutch immigrants

DUTCH UNCLE---One who gives tough advice; stern disciplinarian.---"I am going to have to talk to him like a Dutch uncle."---Joseph C. Neal (1837) "If you keep cutting didoes (tricks; pranks), I must talk to you both like a Dutch uncle."

DYED IN THE WOOL---Having deeply ingrained habits or traits.---"He's really dyed in the wool."---Wool dyed raw before processing penetrated more thoroughly and lasted longer than wool dyed after processing. Sir Thomas north (1579) Plutarch's Lives "If he had not through institution and education died in wool the manners of children."

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