dunnage
Baggage, clothes. Also, a sea term for wood or loose faggots laid at the bottom of ships, upon which is placed the cargo.
English · UK & Ireland 846
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Where will you be? Anywhere UK & IrelandUnited StatesOnline slangBusiness jargon
Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
dunnyken
Originally DANNAKEN, a watercloset.—From DANNA and KEN, which see.
dunton’s
Ladies’ Dictionary, 8vo. London, 1694.
durham man
Knocker kneed, he grinds mustard with his knees: Durham is famous for its mustard.
durrynacking
Offering lace or any other article as an introduction to fortune-telling; generally practised by women.
dust
Money. Down with your dust; deposit the money. To raise or kick up a dust; to make a disturbance or riot: see BREEZE. Dust it away; drink about.
dust
Money; "down with the DUST," put down the money.—Ancient. Dean Swift once took for his text, "He who giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord." His sermon was short. "Now, my brethren," said he, "if you are satisfied with the security, down with the DUST."
dust-hole
Sidney Sussex College at Cambridge.—Univ. Slang.
dustman
A dead man: your father is a dustman.
dustoorie
Commission, douceur, bribe.—Anglo-Indian.
dusty
A phrase used in answering a question where one expects approbation. "What do you think of this?" "Well, it’s not so DUSTY," i.e., not so bad; sometimes varied to "none so DUSTY."
dutch
Or DOUBLE DUTCH, gibberish, or any foreign tongue. "To talk DOUBLE DUTCH backwards on a Sunday" is a humorous locution for extraordinary linguistic facility.
dutch auction
A method of selling goods, adopted by "CHEAP JOHNS," to evade the penalties for selling without a licence. The article is offered all round at a high price, which is then dropped until it is taken. DUTCH AUCTIONS need not be illegitimate transactions, and their economy (as likewise that of puffing) will be found minutely explained in Sugden (Lord St. Leonards) "On Vendors and Purchasers."
dutch comfort
Thank God it is no worse.
dutch consolation
"thank God it is no worse." "It might have been worse," said a man whom the devil was carrying to hell. "How?" asked a neighbour. "Well, he’s carrying me—he might have made me carry him."
dutch feast
Where the entertainer gets drunk before his guest.
dutch uncle
A personage often introduced in conversation, but exceedingly difficult to describe; "I’ll talk to him like a DUTCH UNCLE!" conveys the notion of anything but a desirable relation.
dutchess
A woman enjoyed with her pattens on, or by a man-in boots, is said to be made a dutchess.
day in the sun
Get recognition.
dead and buried
Over or irrevocably in the past.
dead meat
In serious trouble.
delulu
Deliberately or comically delusional — holding an unrealistic belief (often about a crush, celebrity, or personal prospects), sometimes embraced ironically as self-confidence.
dicking around
Messing about, not making any progress.
die hard
Persistent or hard to go away.
dig one's heels in
Refuse to change one's plans or ideas, especially when counseled otherwise.
dig up dirt
Discover damaging information about someone.
dish the dirt
Spread scandalous information.
do or die
Persist in the face of great danger.
dodge a bullet
Avoid something bad, harmful, or unpleasant.
dog eat dog
A situation where people are willing to harm each other in order to succeed.
dollars to donuts
Assert certainty that something is either true or likely to occur, often expressed as a wager of something expensive (dollars) against something cheap (donuts).
don't bite the hand that feeds you
Don't be ungrateful to individuals who aid you.
don't count your chickens before they hatch
Don't make plans for something that may not happen; alternatively, don't make an assumption about something that does not have a definitively predetermined outcome.
don't cry over spilled milk
Don't become upset over something that has already happened and you cannot change.
don't have a cow
Don't overreact.
don't judge a book by its cover
Do not judge the worth of something or someone by appearance alone.
done and dusted
Completely finished.
down tools
Stop work often as an industrial action.
draw a blank
Get no successful response.
draw the line
Set a limit.
dressed to kill
Flamboyantly dressed to impress.
dressed to the nines
Dressed smartly.
drop a dime (US)
To make a telephone call; to be an informant; (basketball) an assist.
duck and dive
Use ingenuity to deal with a situation.
daily grind
Routine daily work or activities
damn by association
To be discredited due to one's connection to someone or something unpopular
damn right
used to emphasize strong agreement
damn straight
emphatically yes or absolutely true
damn the torpedoes
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
damn with faint praise
To criticize indirectly by giving insincere or lukewarm praise
damned if one does and damned if one doesn't
Faced with two options, both of which have negative consequences
Damon and Pythias
Close and loyal friends
damp squib
Something that is expected to be exciting but turns out to be disappointing
dance attendance
To attend someone closely, often in a flattering or obsequious manner
dance of the seven veils
A deliberately misleading or distracting presentation
dance on nothing
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
dance on someone's grave
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
dance with the devil
To cooperate or interact with someone or something dangerous
dandelion and burdock
a type of traditional British soft drink
daniel come to judgement
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.