Common Expressions A

COMMON EXPRESSIONS: A - D

A
a case in point	An example of what one is talking about. – As a case in point, let’s talk about …
a close shave	A near disaster. – We almost lost our most important customer. It was a close shave.
a done deal	[incorrect grammar] A faite accompli — an agreement that has already been made. – It’s too late to change his mind; he has already signed the contract; it’s a done deal.
a piece of cake	Very easy; no problem. – Alfred: How was the examination? Bart: It was a piece of cake.
above and beyond the call of duty	More than is expected to be done; more than is required to do. – Thanks for all your hard work; you really worked above and beyond the call of duty.
ace in the hole	Something or someone secretly available for use. – This information is our ace in the hole; we’ll only use it if we have to.
acid test	A practical test whose findings cannot be disputed or doubted. – He seems like a good CEO, but the acid test will be when he has to negotiate with the union.
across the board	The same application for all people or things involved. – There will be an across the board pay increase next quarter.
act as	to perform in someone’s place, temporarily or permanently. – Mr. Brown will act as chairman until Mr. Smith returns. – From now on, I will be acting as your supervisor.
act up	(1) to misbehave. – People who act up in public should stay at home. (2) to operate or perform badly: – My car is acting up; I should have someone look at it.
add up	to make sense. – His thinking doesn't add up, if you ask me.
after all is said and done	In the final analysis; the main thing that should be said is … – After all is said and done, George will do exactly what he says he will do.
after the fact	After something has taken place. – We already signed the agreement. You can’t make changes after the fact.
agree on	to have the same opinion about something. – We agree on the importance of quality.
agree to	to accept something (suggestions, proposals, prices, …). – We agree to your conditions.
agree to do	to promise to do something. – We agree to supply you with the parts you need.
agree with	to have the same opinion as someone. – I agree with you on this point.
ahead of time	Before the announced or agreed time. – If you want a good seat, get there ahead of time.
aim to do	To intend to do something. – I aim to speak to David about this. – We aim to please! (a common motto for stores)
alive and kicking	Well and healthy; in good condition. – A: How is Tom? B: Oh, he’s alive and kicking. (He is fine.)
alive and well	See: alive and kicking
all at once	(1) Suddenly – All at once, he sat up and spoke. (2) All at the same time – I couldn’t understand anything; everyone was talking all at once. – Time is nature’s way of preventing everything happening all at once.
all day long	For a long time; to any degree. – You can argue all day long, but it won’t change my mind.
all for	Very much in favor of something. – We’re all for buying more shares in that company. – I’m all for a new start. – I’m all for starting again.
all gone	Completely used up; no longer existing. – I’m afraid the coffee is all gone. – The days of easy profits are all gone.
all Greek to me	Completely unintelligible to me. – I heard his speech, but it was all Greek to me. – The fine points of economics is Greek to the average investor.
all in a day’s work	Part of what is expected; typical performance. – You don’t have to thank me. Good customer service is all in a day’s work here.
all in all	Considering everything (including negative factors). – Our truck division didn’t do as well as expected, but all in all we had a good year.
all over	(1) Finished. – You are too late for the speech. It’s all over. (2) Everywhere. – There are McDonalds restaurants all over in Europe.
all over but the shouting	(a result is) Decided and but not yet finished. – Our team is ahead 94 to 70 with two minutes to play. It’s all over but the shouting.
all over the place	In all parts of a location. – There were policemen all over the place when the president visited.
all set	[idiom] Completely prepared or equipped; ready to begin. – All set? Good. Let’s begin.
all talk (and no action)	Talking about doing something but never actually doing it; making promises but not keeping them. / Jack says he is going to lose weight but he is all talk (and no action).
all the same	Nevertheless. – I agree Tom would be a good person to hire. All the same, I would rather hire Maria.
all told	In total; including everything. – All told, the cost of the takeover was $1.3 billion.
all wet	Mistaken, wrong (a strong criticism). – If you think I’m going to put my money into your crazy scheme, you’re all wet!
all worked up	Excited in a negative way; overly worried or upset. – Don’t talk to Beverly about the hole in the ozone layer. She gets all worked up about it.
All’s well that ends well.	A proverb meaning that if an event has a good ending then all of the bad things that happened were worth the pain. – Yes, you lost your job, but then you got an even better one. So, all’s well that ends well, don’t you think?
all-out effort	A 100% effort. – We need an all-out effort from our sales staff if we want to meet our goals.
all-out war	Total war. – If the competition lowers its prices again, it will mean an all-out war.
along with	[idiom] In association with; together with. – We are going to let George handle this along with Marvin.
among	This word means the same as between when there are more than two things involved. - This information must remain a secret between the two of us. - This information must remain a secret among the three of us. - They built their house between two trees. - They built their house among a few trees.
amount to	To be or to become successful or valuable. – The teachers thought Johnny wouldn’t amount to much, but he proved them wrong.
and then some	And even more; more than normal. – You’ll have to play your best and then some if you want to beat Pete.
any port in a storm	A phrase that expresses the attitude that any way out of a difficulty is good, even if it isn’t the best. – It’s the only job he could find. You know, any port in a storm.
apples and oranges	A phrase used to express how two things cannot be compared. – It’s impossible to explain his image in terms of his job performance. They are apples and oranges.
application software	Software programs that are used as tools to solve specific problems. There is application software for word processing, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, database management, online banking, and so on. Also: application, application program [Anwenderprogramme]
as a last resort	As the last choice of action; if everything else fails. – If this doesn’t work, then as a last resort, we can cut jobs.
as a matter of course	Normally; as a normal procedure. – Everyone is expected to file a progress report each week as a matter of course.
as a matter of fact	Actually; to correct or add to what has already been said. Charley: I heard you got a raise. Duane: As a matter of fact, I got a raise and a promotion.
as luck would have it	By good or bad luck; as it turned out; by chance. – As luck would have it, his check crossed my angry letter in the mail. – As luck would have it, an honest person found my wallet.
as many as	A number that could go up to … but not beyond. – The team will consist of as many as fifteen people.
asleep at the wheel	Not paying attention to what one is doing; failing to do one’s duty at the right time. – Someone must have been asleep at the wheel when the thieves broke in.
at a loss (for words)	Unable to speak or to explain something. – I am at a loss (for words) concerning the tragedy.
at a premium	At a high price; difficult to purchase because of the high price. – Tickets during the World Cup in France were at a premium.
at cross-purposes	With different goals in mind. – I think we are talking at cross-purposes; we aren’t even talking about the same thing. – George and Jim are working at cross-purposes; their goals are in conflict.
at every turn	(1) Everywhere. – There were people selling goods at every turn. (2) Continually, at every moment. – Life holds surprises at every turn.
at face value	Based on what something appears to be. – I accept his explanation at face value. (I believe his words exactly.)
at odds	Constantly unable to agree with someone or work well with someone. – John and Bob are always at odds (with each other). (They always disagree.)
at once	Immediately; without delay; this minute. – Bill, get busy on this at once!
at random	Without a logical or predictable sequence or order. – We chose people at random out of the phonebook.
at the break of dawn	At the earliest light of the day. – Susan gets up at the break of dawn. Also: at the crack of dawn
at the drop of a hat	Immediately; as soon as asked. – Peter is ready to help out at the drop of a hat.
at the end of the day	When everything has been considered and done. – At the end of the day, it is the strength of the company that you should invest in. Also: the bottom line is …
at the outset	At the beginning. – We had problems with the technology at the outset, but those problems have been solved.
at this juncture	At this point. – There isn’t much we can do to change things at this juncture.
at this stage of the game	At this point (in some event); currently. – At this stage of the game, we can’t afford to appear unsure.
at will	Whenever one wants. – Michael Jordan is sometimes able to score at will. – You may take money out at will.
B
back and forth	Backwards and forwards. – He was walking back and forth the whole time.
back down	to take a weaker position (in an argument or negotiation). – Because neither side would back down, the strike continued.
back out (of)	to fail to keep something (e.g. an agreement). – They backed out of our agreement at the last minute.
back to square one	Back to the beginning. – Negotiations have broken down, so we are back to square one.
back to the drawing board	Time to start over again. – They didn’t like our advertising presentation. I guess it’s back to the drawing board.
back up	(1) To support someone or something. – We can back up our arguments with hard data. (2) To make a copy of something to be used if the original is destroyed or lost. – I back up my computer files every week.
back-to-back	Two events happening one immediately after the other. We enjoyed back-to-back successes with our first two products.
ball of fire	A very active and energetic person who is always optimistic. – You don’t have to be a ball of fire to be successful here.
ballpark, in the (A ball park is a baseball stadium.)	Close to the correct answer. – That’s not exactly right, but you’re in the ballpark.
ballpark figure	A rough estimate; an approximation. – I don’t know exactly how much, but I can give you a ballpark figure.
bark up the wrong tree	To follow the wrong course or to ask the wrong person. – If you think I’m going to help you, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
-based	In the military, one's base is where one returns after a mission. It is home, in a sense. In the same way, a company has its base or headquarters at a certain location. So you can say: – My company's headquarters are in Atlanta. Or your can say the same thing this way: – My company is based in Atlanta. Or you can say it this way: – I work for an Atlanta-based company.
been around	[idiom] (1) been in existence. – How long has this company been around? [existieren] (2) having experience. – George knows a lot. He’s been around. [viel herumgekommen]
be had	To be cheated. – The car I bought doesn’t run now. I think I’ve been had.
be that as it may	Even if that is true. – You say you won the race. Be that as it may, you didn’t give your best effort.
be up in arms (about st.)	When someone is up in arms, they are angry or rebellious. The expression originally referred to an armed (i.e. carrying weapons) rebellion. The townspeople were up in arms about the new tax. John was up in arms about the new office phone policy.
be used to	[idiom] To be accustomed to something; to be in a state where you have developed a tolerance for something that was disturbing before. – In the beginning, I hated the weather, but now I am used to it. get used to or become used to refers to the process of developing such a tolerance. – I hope I will get used to the noise here. – I got used to his style of management very quickly. – I think I am becoming used to the cold. Note: This expression refers to a thing that you are or are not used to. Therefore, the word to is followed by a noun (a person, a place, a thing, etc.) or a verb in its ing form; for example, sleeping, eating, living, etc. The word to in this idiom is never followed by the infinitive of a verb. These two sentences mean exactly the same thing: – I am used to spicey food. – I am used to eating spicey food. Compare to: used to do
bear in mind	Remember something as a factor in your actions or thinking. – Keep in mind the fact that we don’t have a lot of time. – Keep me in mind when you are ready to start your own company. Also: keep in mind
bear with	Be patient with someone. – Please bear with me; I have to finish this letter.
beat a dead horse	To continue fighting a battle that has been lost. – It’s over, George. Stop beating a dead horse.
beat around the bush	To speak around a point without addressing it directly. – Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you want.
be careful to (do st.)	If you are careful to do something, it means you make a special effort to remember to do it. She was careful to not mention the surprise birthday party. I am always careful to check the tires before a long trip.
bed of roses	A situation or way of life that is always happy and comfortable. – Running a company isn’t always a bed of roses, you know.
beef up	To make something stronger or more powerful. – Maybe we should try to beef up our sales staff.
been around	(1) Been in existence. – How long has this company been around? [existieren] (2) Having gained in experience. – George knows a lot. He’s been around. [viel herumgekommen]
before long	Soon. – Before long, I’ll have my own house.
before you know it	Almost immediately. – I’ll be finished before you know it.
beg to differ	To disagree with someone. – You say it’s possible, but I beg to differ.
behind closed doors	In secret; away from observers. – They reached an agreement behind closed doors.
behind one’s back	Without someone’s knowledge or approval. – She always talks about people behind their backs.
behind the scenes	Privately; out of public view. – They are working behind the scenes to solve the conflict.
behind the times	Old-fashioned. – His thinking is definitely behind the times.
beside the point	Irrelevant; of no importance. – What he told you is beside the point.
between a rock and a hard place	In a very difficult position; facing two unpleasant choices. – I was between a rock and a hard place. No matter what I did would be a disaster.
beyond the shadow of a doubt	Completely without doubt. – He is, without a shadow of a doubt, the smartest man I know.
bite off more than one can chew	To take on more than you can deal with. – When we started that project, I realized we had bitten off more than we could chew.
bite one’s head off	To speak sharply and angrily at someone. – If you are late again, he will bite your head off.
bite the bullet	To endure pain or suffering silently. (from Hollywood movies where a cowboy would put a bullet between his teeth in order to avoid screaming while someone removed an arrow or caused some other kind of pain). – I’m afraid we’ll just have to bite the bullet and take the loss.
bite the dust	To die; to be defeated. – I’m afraid your pet project just bit the dust.
bite one’s tongue	To resist the temptation to say something. – When he said that, I had to bite my tongue.
blind leading the blind	A situation where the helper is as helpless as the person being helped. – I tried to help her with her car, but it was like the blind leading the blind.
blow away	To overcome someone emotionally (positively or negatively). – When I heard her sing, it blew me away. Also: to blow someone’s mind
blow	To waste something; to ruin something. – He blew a great opportunity. – I blew $50 last night on blackjack.
blow up	To get explosively angry. – I’m sorry I blew up yesterday. I was frustrated.
boil down to	To reduce to something; to come down to something. – It all boils down to one thing: do you want the job or not?
bombshell	Shocking or surprising news. – The announcement that the two corporations would merge was a bombshell. Also: drop a bombshell
boss around	To give orders to someone in an unwelcome way. – I don’t like the way he bosses everybody around.
bread and butter	One’s primary source of income; one’s special talent. – Our line of outdoor clothing is our real bread and butter.
break down	to end because of failure. – Negotiations broke down and the strike continued.
break down	to divide into parts or categories. – Our product range can be broken down into five categories.
break new ground	To do something that no one else has done; to enter new territories. – This process breaks new ground in the area of gene research.
break off	to stop something (conversations, relationships) suddenly. – Our conversation was broken off by the accident outside. – Bob and Mary broke off their engagement.
break the ice	To initiate social interaction and conversation; to make a social situation warmer. – Telling a personal story is one good way to break the ice.
break the news	To be the first to tell someone a news item, usually bad news. – I hate to be the one to break the news to her.
break up	(1) to end (meetings, relationships). – Our meeting broke up at lunch. – Bob and Mary are no longer together; they broke up. (2) to separate into smaller parts. – IBM is breaking up into smaller "Baby Blues".
break your word	To not do what you said you would do; to not keep a promise. – I don’t mind that you made a mistake; but I do mind that you broke your word to me.
breathe new life into	To restore vitality to someone or something that has lost its vitality. – The new funding breathed new life into the project.
bright and early	Very early in the morning. – I’ll be up bright and early.
bring about	to cause something to happen. – Their problems were brought about by poor product quality.
bring down	to lower (e.g., prices). – If we bring down prices, maybe sales will increase.
bring out	to introduce or show (a product) for the first time. – They are going to bring out a new line of notebooks in the summer.
bring to light	To reveal something; to make it known; to discover something. – His hard work finally brought the scandal to light.
bring up	to initiate a discussion about (a topic of conversation). – I would like to bring up the matter of staff reduction.
bug	[transitive verb] To irritate or bother someone. – That noise bugs me.
build up	to strengthen or increase (e.g., strength, advantage, characteristic, reputation). – We have built up our ability to respond to the market.
burn (oneself) out	To work so hard that you eventually have no desire to do the work any more. – He burned himself out after six years in the position.
burn the candle at both ends	To work twice as hard as normal. – He is burning the candle at both ends, working at two jobs.
burn the midnight oil	To work until very late. – I’m very tired today. I was up late last night burning the midnight oil.
burst into tears	To begin to cry suddenly. – She burst into tears when they told her.
burst out laughing	To begin to laugh suddenly. – I burst out laughing when he told me.
butterflies in your stomach	A nervous feeling in the stomach. – I always have butterflies in my stomach before a big speech.
buy out	to purchase controlling interest in (another company). – Sylvania was bought out by Osram.
by all accounts	Apparently; according to what everyone says. – By all accounts, the speech was a great success. Also: by all appearances – He is, by all appearances, fully recovered from his illness.
by all means	Certainly; yes; absolutely. – By all means, do what you like.
by and large	Generally; usually. – We are, by and large, a satisfied group.
by any means	By any way possible. – We must win this contract by any means.
by chance	By accident; randomly. – I met her by chance at a dinner party.
by far	Without question. – New York is by far my favorite city. Also: far and away
by heart	From memory; mechanically. – She knows the product numbers by heart. [auswendig]
by mistake	In error; wrongly. – I called him Fred by mistake.
by the way	Incidentally; in addition; while I think of it. – By the way, I spoke to your brother yesterday.
C
call	A judgment (from sports officials). It’s your call. It’s your judgment to make. a close call: a near disaster. – We almost had an accident on the way over here; it was a really close call.
call a meeting	To ask that people assemble for a meeting; to request that a meeting be held. – I’d like to call a meeting for tomorrow.
call a spade a spade	To call something by its right name; to speak frankly about something. – It’s time to call a spade a spade. We don’t think you can do it.
call for	means to ask for (or to demand) something in a public forum. – We are calling for volunteers to help in this emergency. It also means to require something as necessary or right in order to perform a task. – This job calls for computer skills. – This situation calls for patience and understanding.
call it a day	To quit work and go home. – Well, it’s six-thirty. I think I’ll call it a day.
call it quits	To quit. – I’m tired. I guess I’ll call it quits.
call off	to cancel s.t. (e.g., an appointment, a business deal). – The meeting has been called off.
call on	(1) to ask (or to demand) someone to do something. – I call on all good citizens to vote in the election. (2) to visit (e.g., customer, friend). – I called on my most important customer today. (3) to ask someone to speak (in a formal setting). – I would now like to call on Dr. Smith, who will tell us about the latest technical developments.
call on the carpet	To reprimand someone; to criticize someone in an official way. – The boss called Davis on the carpet for the poor job he did last week.
call the shots	to make the decisions. – Who calls the shots around here?
can’t make heads or tails of …	To be unable to understand at all; to be confused. – I can’t make heads or tails of this sentence. – Can you make heads or tails of what he is saying? This expression could come from the idea of top and bottom or from the idea of the two sides of a coin.
can’t stand	Cannot tolerate someone or something. – I can’t stand the way he talks to me. – I can’t stand liver.
care about	to have an interest in the welfare of. – I care about the environment.
care for	(1) to supply the needs for something or someone. – Would you please care for my plants while I'm on vacation? (2) to have a hunger or thirst for. – Would you care for more coffee?
carry on	to continue (an activity). – Sorry I interrupted your conversation. Please, carry on.
carry out	(1) to execute (duties, responsibilities). – He carried out his duties until he retired at the age of seventy-five. (2) to perform or conduct (research, experiments, tests). – We don't carry out such research.
carry weight	To be influential with someone. – Their argument does not carry weight with me. They are not trustworthy.
catch	[noun] A concealed difficulty or complication. – This sounds too good to be true. There must be a catch to it.
catch on	(1) to learn how (to do something). – It may seem complicated to you now, but you will soon catch on. (2) to become popular or fashionable. – I don't think your idea will catch on.
catch off balance	To say or do something that surprises another person. – His question caught me off balance. I didn’t have an answer. Also: catch one off guard
catch up on	to bring oneself up to date on (events, developments). – After every vacation, I have a mountain of work to catch up on.
catch up with	to achieve the same position as. – It is hard to catch up with the market leader if you are the fourth company to enter the market.
catch-22	A problem that cannnot be solved because of a conflict between the solution and the problem itself. – You can’t get a job without a union card, and you can’t get a union card unless you have a job. It’s a catch-22. (The phrase is the title of a 1961 novel by Joseph Heller about a bomber squadron in World War II. The hero, Yosarian, was a bomber pilot who wished to stop flying. He was told that the only thing that could get him out of duty was if he were crazy. Flying into combat was a sure sign of being crazy but asking to be grounded was a sure sign of being not crazy. That was catch-22.
caught in the act	To be seen doing something illegal or private. – He can’t deny it. He was caught in the act.
CEO searches	[noun] a search for a person to fill an open CEO position. Executive search is a search for a person to fill any executive position. An executive search firm is a company that specializes in this service for a fee. They contact people at other companies.
change hands	To change ownership from one person to another. – The restaurant has changed hands.
change one’s mind	To cause someone to have a different opinion. – We thought they were not very competent, but they changed our minds as a result of our close cooperation.
change the subject	To begin talking about something different. – I hate to change the subject, but …
check back	to contact again later. – Check back with me after you have read my report.
cheer up	To become happier. – Cheer up, Dan. Things aren’t so bad.
cliffhanger	Anything whose success or survival is very much in doubt. – The Bulls won their basketball game last night in the last three seconds. It was a real cliffhanger. This expression comes from adventure stories that are presented in a series (in magazines and movies). To keep people’s interest, someone is left in a dangerous position at the end of an installment (for example, hanging from a cliff).
come about	to be caused. – How did the misunderstanding come about?
come across	to be received by other people (e.g., ideas, presentations). – If he spoke better, his ideas might come across better. also: come over
come across	to find by chance. – I came across my old skis in the garage yesterday.
come again?	Say it again, please. – Come again? You want to do what?
come along	to develop. – Work on the construction is coming along nicely.
come close to doing	to almost do something. – We came close to going bankrupt in 1985, but now we are in good shape.
come out	(1) to reach a final result. – How did the football match come out yesterday? (2) to appear (e.g. in publications). – The International Herald-Tribune comes out six days a week.
come out on top	[idiom] to be the winner in the end. – Although we are in fourth place now, I predict we will come out on top.
come over	See: come across (2)
come to	to total (e.g. a list of numbers). – The bill comes to exactly one hundred dollars.
come to light	To become known. – Some interesting facts have come to light in the investigation.
come to pass	To happen; to take place; to transpire. – When do you expect this development to come to pass?
come to terms	To reach an agreement. – The union has come to terms with management.
come under	To be placed in a category. – This cost of the seminar will come under "educational expenses".
come up	To be mentioned in a conversation. – Your name came up at the meeting this morning.
come up against	To meet (problems, obstacles). – When he came into the discussion, we came up against a brick wall of negativity.
come up with	To invent (e.g., an idea, a suggestion). – She came up with a brilliant idea for saving money.
come/get to the point	To say the most important information or argument. – We know all that already. Come to the point. Also: get to the point Also: cut to the chase (slang: this expression comes from action movies; it means go directly from the boring parts to the exciting chase scene.)
contradiction in terms	A statement that contains two expressions that seem to contradict each other. – Some think that "honest politician" is a contradiction in terms.
cool … dollars, a	[idiom] An impressive amount of money totalling … In the past, a cool million dollars was a huge amount of money. The person hearing this phrase would often whistle to show how impressed he was. Today, in this article, it’s a cool $250 million. It’s hard to say where this idiom comes from. There is a similar idiom, cold cash, which means real currency (bills and coins) available immediately. Perhaps cash that is stored in a vault in the basement is actually cold or cool to the touch. Of course, cool by itself means impressive, interesting, exciting, etc.
cool down / off	To allow your anger to reduce. – I suggest you cool down before you talk to him. Also: cool off
corporate sponsorship	A way of funding expensive projects, for example, the Olympic Games. It involves corporations donating money, usually in return for associating their names with the project. It is an alternative to governmental support for such projects.
cost an arm and a leg	To be very expensive. – I’d buy that car if it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.
couldn’t care less	To be unable to care at all. – I couldn’t care less whether they enter our market or not.
count noses	To count people. – Let’s count noses and order some pizzas.
count on	(1) to rely on. – Don't worry. You can count on me. (2) to consider as possible or likely. Also: figure on – We didn't count on him saying yes.
crazy about	To be very fond of something or someone. – I’m crazy about tennis. Also: mad about, nuts about
cross a bridge when you come to it	We will address that problem when it arises and not before. – I don’t think about it. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
cross one’s fingers	To wish for luck (by crossing the first two fingers of one or both hands). – Cross your fingers; I’m going to call her. Also: keep your fingers crossed
cry over spilled milk	To complain or lament about something that cannot be undone. – I refuse to cry over spilled milk. If my plans go wrong, I just think about the next plan.
cut back (on)	To reduce (e.g., spending, consumption). – We have to cut back on spending for travel. Also: cut down on
cut corners	To reduce time or money or effort by not doing a full, complete job. – I don’t want you to cut corners. I only care about the quality of the finished product.
cut down (on)	See: cut back on
cut off	To stop the flow of something (e.g., resources, supplies, communication). – If you don't pay your bills, they will cut off your credit.
cut our losses	To accept defeat or financial losses and walk away from the risk of further losses (and the chance to turn things around). – I see this stock only going down more and more. I think we should sell now and cut our losses.
cut out	To eliminate from one's life. – The doctor told me to cut out cigarettes.
cut out for	To be well-suited for something. – I’m afraid I’m just not cut out for managing other people.
cut throat	Extremely competitive. – There is cut-throat competition in this market. Also: dog-eat-dog
D
damn one with faint praise	To criticize someone indirectly by not praising highly enough. – He was damned with faint praise by his rival.
dark horse	Someone or something in a competitive situation whose chances of winning are low but is still considered a possibility. – They are too late getting into this market, so they must be considered a dark horse.
data	Technically, the word data is the plural form of datum. However, you may never hear or read the word datum because virtually no one uses it. Data, meaning factual information, especially numerical information, can be either plural or singular in the way it is used. Both are standard English with no difference in meaning. So you can say This data is very helpful. or These data are very helpful. and Look at the data. It cannot be ignored. or Look at the data. They cannot be ignored. But you CANNOT put an s at the end to make it plural! Never say datas !!! If you want to count data, you have to talk about individual bits of data or pieces of data. They overlooked the three most important pieces of data.
dead heat	A tie or draw [Unentschieden] with no single winner of a race; any shared position in a competition. – The two runners ended in a dead heat for last position. A heat is one race out of several which must be run to determine a winner; for example, the preliminary heat, the second heat, the final heat.
dead set against	Absolutely against something. – I’m dead set against buying that company.
deal with	(1) to work with or do business with someone. – We deal with Asian travel agencies. (2) to turn your attention to something. – After I finish lunch, I will deal with your problem.
dicey	Risky; unpredictable. (from craps, a betting game using two dice) – This looks like a very dicey proposition.
die for	To want something very, very much. (Usually with I am dying for or I would die for.) – I am dying for a drink right now. – I would die for a big steak right now. Also: I would kill for
dig your own grave	To create a situation that is dangerous to your own existence. – If you license this technology, you will be digging your own grave.
dime a dozen	Cheap or easy to find. – Screenwriters in Los Angeles are a dime a dozen.
direct sales	A method of selling goods or services straight to the customer without using retailers or wholesalers. – Compaq and Dell are two successful PC companies that specialize in direct sales.
dirt cheap	Extremely cheap. – I found some great shoes that were dirt cheap.
dirty	Containing sexual references that are socially unacceptable. – I can’t believe he told a dirty joke at lunch.
dirty look	An angry expression. – She gave him a dirty look when he mentioned their problem.
dirty work	(1) Dishonest actions. – There is too much dirty work involved in politics. (2) The most difficult and boring work. – When building your own business, you have to do the dirty work yourself.
do without	To function without. – You will have to do without a secretary for a while.
do away with	To eliminate the need of something. – When we installed the computer system , we did away with a lot of jobs.
do over	To do again. – I have to do the letter over because I forgot the most important thing.
do the honors	To act as host or hostess and serve the guests by pouring drinks, slicing meat, making toasts, etc. opening a bottle of wine for someone: – I’ll do the honors.
do the trick	To accomplish what needs to be accomplished. – Now if you’ll push that button and then that one, that should do the trick.
dog-eat-dog	Extremely competitive. – It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Also: cut-throat
Don’t hold your breath.	Don’t waste your time waiting. – You hope the price of this stock will go up? Don’t hold your breath.
doomed to failure	Certain to fail. – Because of several factors, the project was doomed to failure from the beginning.
double-cross	To betray someone by doing the opposite of what was promised. – They double-crossed us when they sold out to our competitors.
down the road	[idiom] In the future. – Ten years down the road, this will be a very different market. – What do you think will happen down the road?
down-to-earth	(1) Direct, frank, and honest. – I appreciate a down-to-earth answer. (2) Practical; not theoretical. – We need some down-to-earth ideas.
drag your feet	To act very slowly, usually on purpose for some reason. – I think the government is dragging their feet on this.
draw a blank	To be unable to remember. – I recognize her face, but I’m drawing a blank with her name.
draw interest	(1) To earn interest (for money) while on deposit. – My money is drawing interest in the bank. (2) To create interest in people. – I think this idea will draw a lot of interest. People will want to invest in it.
draw on	To benefit from or use as a resource (knowledge, experience). – We were able to draw on Bill's knowledge of the problem.
draw out	(1) To withdraw (money from a bank account). – They drew out all their money. (2) To go longer than planned. – The meeting drew out until five o'clock.
draw the line	To set a limit. – When it comes to employees taking office supplies home, you have to draw the line.
draw to a close	To end in a gradual way at the right time. – Our vacation is drawing to a close.
draw up	to write or formulate (e.g., a contract, an agreement). – We could draw up a contract right away.
drive a hard bargain	To negotiate with very little or no willingness to compromise. – He drove a hard bargain, but I finally got him down a little bit.
drive at	To try to make a point. – I don’t understand your point; what are you driving at? – What I am driving at is this: …
drive crazy	To annoy or irritate someone. Also: drive mad – The way he sips his coffee drives me crazy. Also: drive s.o. up the wall
drive into the ground	To go too far with a good thing. – It’s a good way to motivate some people, but we shouldn’t drive it into the ground. Also: run s.t. into the ground
driving force	A person or thing that motivates or directs other people or things. – I don’t believe that greed is the driving force behind the most successful people.
drop by	To visit someone casually or spontaneously. – If you are ever in my neighborhood, be sure to drop by. Also: drop in
drop in (on)	See: drop by
drop off	To decrease. Also: fall off – Sales have dropped off this quarter.
drop off	To deliver (s.o./s.t.) to a location by car. – I can drop you off at the train station. – I’ll drop the book off after work.
drop out of	To quit or withdraw from (e.g. competition, school). – He dropped out of the race.
drop a line	To write someone a short letter or note. – After you get settled in, be sure to drop me a line.
drop the ball	To make a blunder; to fail because of your own mistake (from sports). – You really dropped the ball when you forgot to mention the prime minister in your speech.
drop the other shoe	To do the next expected thing. – They announced their earnings figures last week. We expect them to drop the other shoe soon and announce job cut-backs.
drug	In English, drug can mean a chemical substance that the doctor gives you to help you get over an illness [Medikament; (Arznei)mittel] or it can mean a chemical substance, usually illegal and often addictive, that can alter one's mood [Droge; Rauschgift]. To distinguish between the two, we use words like medicine, prescription drugs, and pharmaceutical drugs for the drugs one gets from a doctor or at a drug store (or pharmacy). For the other kind, we use words like street drugs and illegal drugs. The Food and Drug Administration in America monitors the testing of new medicines before they can be declared safe to use and allowed onto the market. – Every pharmaceutical company is always looking for the next big miracle drug.
drum into one’s head	To help someone learn something by repeating it over and over again. – My father drummed the importance of hard work into my head.
drum up business	To create new business activity. – We need a good ad campaign to drum up business for our investment services.
dumb down	To make something so simple that even the stupid people can understand it.
Dutch treat	A social occasion where each person pays his or her own bill. – Lunch will be Dutch treat. Also: to go Dutch
duty bound	To be forced to do something by a sense of duty and honor. – We are duty bound to enforce these rules and regulations.
dying to do	To be very anxious (eager) to do something. – I am dying to meet him.