[drop name]{v. phr.} To impress people by mentioning famous names.•/He likes to pretend he’s important by dropping a lot of names./

[drop off]{v.} 1. To take (someone or something) part of the way youare going. •/Joe asked Mrs. Jones to drop him off at the library on her waydowntown./ 2. To go to sleep. •/Jimmy was thinking of his birthday party ashe dropped off to sleep./ 3. To die. •/The patient dropped off in hissleep./ 4. or [fall off] To become less. •/Business picked up in thestores during December, but dropped off again after Christmas./ Contrast PICKUP(14).

[dropout]{n.} Someone who did not finish school, high school andcollege primarily. •/Tim is having a hard time getting a better job as he wasa high-school dropout./ •/Jack never got his B.A. as he became a collegedropout./

[drop out]{v.} To stop attending; quit; stop; leave. •/In the middleof the race, Joe got a blister on his foot and had to drop out./•/Teenagers who drop out of high school have trouble finding jobs./

[drown one’s sorrows] or [drown one’s troubles] {v. phr.},{informal} To drink liquor to try to forget something unhappy. •/When hiswife was killed in an auto accident, Mr. Green tried to drown his sorrows inwhiskey./ •/When Fred lost his job and had to give up his new car, he triedto drown his troubles at the nearest tavern./

[drown one’s troubles] See: DROWN ONE’S SORROWS.

[drown out]{v.} To make so much noise that it is impossible to hear(some other sound). •/The children’s shouts drowned out the music./ •/Theactor’s words were drowned out by applause./

[drum up]{v.} 1. To get by trying or asking again and again; attractor encourage by continued effort. •/The car dealer tried to drum up businessby advertising low prices./ 2. To invent. •/I will drum up an excuse forcoming to see you next week./ Syn.: MAKE UP(2), THINK UP.

[dry] See: CUT AND DRIED, HIGH AND DRY.

[dry behind the ears]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Experienced; knowinghow to do something. Usually used in the negative. •/John had just startedworking for the company, and was not dry behind the ears yet./ Compare: KNOWONE’S WAY AROUND. Contrast: WET BEHIND THE EARS.

[dry out]{v. phr.} To cure an alcoholic. •/A longtime alcoholic.Uncle Steve is now in the hospital getting dried out./

[dry up]{v.} 1. To become dry. •/The reservoir dried up during thefour-month drought./ 2. To disappear or vanish as if by evaporating. •/TheSenator’s influence dried up when he was voted out of office./ 3. {slang}To stop talking. — Often used as a command. •/"Dry up!" Tony said angrilywhen his friend told him for the third time that he had made a mistake in histheme./ Syn.: SHUT UP(1).

[dual highway] See: DIVIDED HIGHWAY.

[duck] See: DEAD DUCK, KNEE HIGH TO A GRASSHOPPER or KNEE HIGH TO A DUCK,LAME DUCK, LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK’S BACK.

[duckling] See: UGLY DUCKLING.

[duck out]{v. phr.} To avoid; escape from something by skillfulmaneuvering. •/Somehow or other Jack always manages to duck out of any hardwork./

[duck soup]{n.}, {slang} 1. A task easily accomplished or one thatdoes not require much effort. •/That history test was duck soup./ 2. Aperson who offers no resistance; a pushover. •/How’s the new history teacher? — He’s duck soup./

[duddy] See: FUDDY-DUDDY.

[due] See: GIVE ONE’S DUE, GIVE THE DEVIL HIS DUE, IN DUE COURSE at IN GOODTIME.

[due to]{prep.} Because of; owing to; by reason of. •/His injury wasdue to his careless use of the shotgun./ •/Joe’s application to theUniversity was not accepted due to his failing English./

[dull] See: ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.

[dumb bunny]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} Any person who isgullible and stupid. •/Jack is a regular dumb bunny./

[dumbwaiter]{n.} A small elevator for carrying food, dishes, etc.,from one floor to another in hotels, restaurants, or large homes. •/Thebanquet was delayed because the dumbwaiter broke down and the food had to becarried upstairs by hand./

[dumps] See: DOWN IN THE DUMPS or DOWN IN THE MOUTH.

[dust] See: BITE THE DUST, KICK UP A FUSS or KICK UP A DUST, WATCH ONE’SDUST, AFTER THE DUST CLEARS/WHEN THE DUST SETTLES.

[dust off]{v.}, {informal} 1. To get ready to use again. •/Fouryears after he graduated from school, Tom decided to dust off his algebrabook./ 2. To throw a baseball pitch close to. •/The pitcher dusted off theother team’s best hitter./ Syn.: BRUSH BACK.

[Dutch] See: BEAT ALL or BEAT THE DUTCH, GO DUTCH, IN DUTCH.

[dutch treat]{n.}, {informal} A meal in a restaurant or an outingat the movies, concert, or theater where each party pays his or her own way.•/"I am willing to accept your invitation," Mary said, "but it will have tobe Dutch treat."/

[duty] See: DO DUTY FOR, DOUBLE DUTY, HEAVY DUTY, OFF DUTY, ON DUTY.

[duty bound]{adj. phr.} Forced to act by what you believe is right.•/Abraham Lincoln walked miles once to return a few pennies that he hadovercharged a woman because he felt duty bound to do it./ •/John felt dutybound to report that he had broken the window./

[duty calls]{n. phr.} One must attend to one’s obligations. •/"I’dlove to stay and play more poker," Henry said, "but duty calls and I must getback to the office."/

[dwell on] or [dwell upon] {v.} To stay on a subject; not leavesomething or want to leave; not stop talking or writing about. •/Joe dwelt onhis mistake long after the test was over./ •/Our eyes dwelled on thebeautiful sunset./ •/The principal dwelled on traffic safety in histalk./ Compare: HARP ON. Contrast: TOUCH ON.

[dyed-in-the-wool]{adj. phr.} Thoroughly committed; inveterate;unchanging. •/He is a died-in-the-wool Conservative Republican./

[dying to]{adj. phr.} Having a great desire to; being extremely eagerto. •/Seymour is dying to date Mathilda, but she keeps refusing him./

[each and every]{adj. phr.} Every. — Used for emphasis. •/Thecaptain wants each and every man to be here at eight o’clock./ •/Theteacher must learn the name of each and every pupil./ Syn.: EVERY SINGLE.

[each other] or [one another] {pronoun} Each one the other; one theother. •/That man and his wife love each other./ •/Bill and Mary gave oneanother Christmas presents last year./ •/All the children at the party werelooking at one another trying to recognize one another in their masks andcostumes./ •/The birds fought each other over the bread./

[eager beaver]{n. phr.}, {slang} A person who is always eager towork or do anything extra, perhaps to win the favor of his leader or boss.•/Jack likes his teacher and works hard for her, but his classmates call himan eager beaver./ •/The man who was promoted to be manager was an eagerbeaver who got to work early and left late and was always offering to do extrawork./

[eagle eye]{n.} Sharp vision like that of an eagle; the ability tonotice even the tiniest details. •/The new boss keeps an eagle eye on allaspects of our operation./