Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[done for] {adj. phr.} Finished; dead. •/ When the police burst in on the crooks, they knew they were done for. /

[done to a turn]See: TO A T or TO A TURN.

[done with] {adj. phr.} Finished; completed. •/ As soon as you’re done with your work, give us a call. /

[don’t cross your bridges until you come to them]See: CROSS A BRIDGE BEFORE ONE COMES TO IT.

[don’t cry before you’re hurt]See: CRY BEFORE ONE IS HURT.

[don’t let’s]See: LET’S DON’T.

[don’t look a gift horse in the mouth]See: LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH.

[do one a good turn] {v. phr.} To perform an act of kindness, friendship, or help to another person, unselfishly, without expectation of reward. •/ "I’ll be happy to help you any time you need it," John said. "After all you have done me so many good turns." /

[do one good] {v. phr.} To benefit. •/ The fresh air will do you good after having been inside the house all day. /

[do one good]or [do one’s heart good] {v. phr.} To give satisfaction; please; gratify. •/ It does my heart good to see those children play. /

[do one’s best] {v. phr.} To perform at one’s optimum capacity; spare no effort in fulfilling one’s duties. •/ "I’ve really done my best teaching you people," the tired professor said on the last day of classes. "I hope you got something out of this course." /

[do one’s bit]or [part] {v. phr.} To shoulder one’s share of responsibility in a communal undertaking; shirk one’s obligation. •/ "Let me go home and rest, fellows, " John said. "I think I’ve done my bit for this project. " /

[do one’s thing]or [do one’s own thing] {v. phr.} , {informal} 1. To do what one does well and actually enjoys doing. •/ Two thousand fans paid $15 each to hear the rock group do their thing. / 2. To follow one’s bent; for example, to be engaged in left-wing politics, some sort of meditation, or use of drugs (particularly in the sixties). •/ The hippies were doing their own thing when the cops came and busted them. / 3. To be engaged in an unusual activity that strikes others as odd. •/ Leave Jim alone, he’s just doing his own thing when he’s standing on his head. /

[do one’s worst] {v. phr.} To do one’s utmost by resorting to every foul means possible. •/ Hitler did his worst to drive out the Allied invasion from Europe, but he failed. /

[door]See: AT DEATH’S DOOR, AT ONE’S DOOR, CLOSED-DOOR, CLOSE ITS DOORS, CLOSE THE DOOR or BAR THE DOOR or SHUT THE DOOR, DARKEN ONE S DOOR, or DARKEN THE DOOR, FOOT IN THE DOOR, KEEP THE WOLF FROM THE DOOR, LAY AT ONE’S DOOR, LOCK THE BARN DOOR AFTER THE HORSE IS STOLEN, NEXT DOOR, OPEN ITS DOORS, OPEN THE DOOR, SHOW THE DOOR, SLAM THE DOOR IN ONE’S FACE at IN ONE’S FACE.

[do-or-die] {adj.} Strongly decided, very eager and determined. •/ With a real do-or-die spirit the team scored two touchdowns in the last five minutes of the game. / •/ The other army was larger but our men showed a do-or-die determination and won the battle. /

[doorstep]See: AT ONE’S DOOR or AT ONE’S DOOR-STEP.

[do over] {v. phr.} 1. To renovate; redecorate. •/ The new owners are going to do over the entire building in the fall. / 2. To repeat. •/ Please do that math problem over until you get it right. /

[dope out] {v.} , {slang} To think of something that explains. •/ The detectives tried to dope out why the man was murdered. / Syn.: FIGURE OUT.

[do proud]See: DO CREDIT.

[do someone out of something] {v.} , {informal} To cause to lose by trickery or cheating. •/ The clerk in the store did me out of $2.00 by overcharging me. /

[dose of one’s own medicine]or [taste of one’s own medicine] {n. phr.} Being treated in the same way you treat others; something bad done to you as you have done bad to other people. •/ Jim was always playing tricks on other boys. Finally they decided to give him a dose of his own medicine. /

[dot]See: ON THE DOT also ON THE BUTTON.

[do tell] {interj.} , {informal} An inelegant expression used to show that you are a little surprised by what you hear. •/ "You say George is going to get married after all these years? Do tell!" said Mrs. Green. / Syn.: YOU DON’T SAY.

[do the business] {v. phr.} , {informal} To do what is needed or wanted; get the job done; take proper action. •/ The boys had trouble in rolling the stone, but four of them did the business. / •/ When the little boy cut his finger a bandage did the business. /

[do the honors] {v. phr.} To act as host or hostess (as in introducing guests, carving, or paying other attentions to guests.) •/ The president of the club will do the honors at the banquet. /

[do the trick] {v. phr.} , {informal} To bring success in doing something; have a desired result. •/ Jim was not passing in English, but he studied harder and that did the trick. / •/ The car wheels slipped on the ice, so Tom put sand under them, which did the trick. / Compare: TURN THE TRICK.

[do things by halves] {v. phr.} To do things in a careless and incomplete way. •/ When he reads a book he always does it by halves; he seldom finishes it. /

[do time]or [doing time]See: DO A STRETCH.

[do to death] {v. phr.} To overdo; do something so often that it becomes extremely boring or tiresome. •/ The typical car chase scene in motion pictures has been done to death. /

[dot the i’s and cross the t’s] {v. phr.} To be careful, thorough, and pay close attention to detail. •/ "The best way to get an A on the final exam," the teacher said, "is for every one to dot the i’s and cross the t’s." / Compare: MIND ONE’S P’S AND Q’S.

[double back] {v.} 1. To turn back on one’s way or course. •/ The escaped prisoner doubled back on his tracks. / 2. To fold over; usually in the middle. •/ The teacher told Johnny to double back the sheet of paper and tear it in half. /

[double check] {n.} A careful second check to be sure that something is right; a careful look for errors. •/ The policeman made a double check on the doors in the shopping area. /

[double-check] {v.} 1. To do a double check on; look at again very carefully. •/ When the last typing of his book was finished, the author double-checked it. / 2. To make a double check; look carefully at something. •/ The proofreader double-checks against errors. /

[double-cross] {v.} To promise one thing and deliver another; to deceive. •/ The lawyer double-crossed the inventor by manufacturing the gadget instead of fulfilling his promise to arrange a patent for his client. / Compare: SELL DOWN THE RIVER, TWO-TIME.

[double date] {n.} , {informal} A date on which two couples go together. •/ John and Nancy went with Mary and Bill on a double date. /

[double-date] {v.} , {informal} To go on a double date; date with another couple. •/ John and Nancy and Mary and Bill double-date. /

[double duty] {n.} Two uses or jobs; two purposes or duties. •/ Matthew does double duty. He’s the janitor in the morning and gardener in the afternoon. / •/ Our new washer does double duty; it washes the clothes and also dries them. /

[double-header] {n.} Two games or contests played one right after the other, between the same two teams or two different pairs of teams. •/ The Yankees and the Dodgers played a double-header Sunday afternoon. / •/ We went to a basketball double-header at Madison Square Garden and saw Seton Hall play St. John’s and N.Y.U. play Notre Dame. /

[double nickel] {adv.} , {slang} , {citizen’s band radio jargon} The nationally enforced speed limit on some highways — 55 MPH. •/ We’d better go double nickel on this stretch, partner; there’s a bear in the air. /

[double-park] {v.} To park a car beside another car which is at the curb. •/ Jimmy’s father double-parked his car and the police gave him a ticket. / •/ If you double-park, you block other cars from passing. /

[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.