Dine on ashes: To focus only on failures or regrets for past actions.

Dip your toes in the water: To try out something cautiously as you are not sure whether it will work or not.

Discerning eye: To be good at judging the real value/quality of something.

Discretion is the better part of valou.r: It is better to think carefully before acting than to do something that can lead to problems.

Dish the dirt: To disclose publicly some unpleasant or shocking information.

Do a runner: To leave a restaurant without paying the bill.

Dog and pony show: A show or a presentation that has more style than content.

Dog days: Very hot summer days.

Dog’s dinner: Something that is a real mess.

Dog’s life: A life full of misfortune.

Dog-eared: This refers to the bad condition of something, usually a book

Doggy bag: Refers to the packed leftover food that your take home with you after eating at a restaurant.

Doldrums: To be in the doldrums is to be depressed.

Don’t hold your breath: Not to have high expectations of something.

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth: Whatever gift or chance a person is given should not be examined too critically.

Don’t mention the war: Sensitive topics that can lead to an argument should not be mentioned or brought up in the conversation.

Don’t push my buttons: Used as a warning to someone to not annoy or offend you.

Don’t shoot the messenger: It means the person who is giving the bad news should not be blamed for it. In ancient times, the messenger who brought bad news to the king was killed.

Don’t sweat the small stuff: There is no need to get worked up over little and unimportant things.

Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you: It means one should not go searching for trouble or problems.

Don’t upset the applecart: It means one should not try to change the way things are being done as it will simply spoil things or the situation.

Done to death: Something has happened so many times that it has become very boring and uninteresting.

Donkey work: Hard and boring work.

Dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s: Do things very precisely and correctly.

Double Dutch: It means something is totally incomprehensible.

Double take: To react very slowly to something, to show shock and surprise.

Double whammy: Two problems that occur at the same time.

Down and out: To be very poor and needy.

Down at heel: To be short of money.

Down in the dumps: To be depressed.

Down the drain: When something goes down the drain, it is totally wasted, or used to indicate an effort that was totally fruitless.

Down-to-earth: To be practical and realistic.

Drag your feet: To take too long to do something, thus showing one’s reluctance.

— Ahzam Ahmed