Dot one’s I’s and cross one’s t’s This idiom means to be very careful and thorough and to pay close attention to details. When we forget to dot our i’s or cross our t’s it is indicative of careless work. “There’s...
Down on one’s Luck “I am down on my luck these days. Everything I do is a failure,” said Nitin in despair, to his sympathetic friends. He meant that he was temporarily unfortunate, or unlucky. “Won’t you spare a few coins...
Day in and Day out “I am fed up of doing the same thing day in and day out. I need a change,” said Vinita in disgust. This idiom means all the time. Day in and day out Mrs Reddy nagged...
Do someone a good turn Mrs Mehra decided to give a party, but on the final day, quite unexpectedly, her oven wouldn’t work. Her neighbour, however, came to the rescue, and did the baking for her. By doing this she did...
Dressed to kill Payal went to her first teenage party wearing an elegant dress. Her admiring friends told her that she was dressed to kill. Dressed to kill means to be dressed so as to attract attention, especially from the opposite...
Do things by halves The teacher looked at Manu’s untidy, slipshod work and sighed. “I don’t know why you do things by halves, when you are capable of much better,” she told him. To do things by halves is to do...
Dance attendance upon Rohit left his job in disgust because he was expected to dance attendance upon his boss at all times. Dance attendance upon means to do everything a person asks you to, and treat them as if they are...
Deliver the Goods “I think we will hire him,” the company director told his associates. “His ideas are clear-cut and I am sure he will be able to deliver the goods.” What the director meant was that the expected or hoped...