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...
Dark horse A dark horse is a person who keeps his interests and ideas a secret—especially someone who has a surprising skill. Rita’s such a dark horse. We had no idea that she was dating Bob till she announced her wedding...
Lead somebody a dance This means to cause someone a lot of trouble. The well-known jewel thief led the police a fine dance for two weeks before being arrested....
Daylight Robbery Rahul wanted to buy a pair of shoes. However, he was so shocked at the high prices quoted by all the shoe shops he visited that he came back without making a purchase. “It’s daylight robbery,” he told his...
Catch (someone) in the act To discover (someone) in the process of doing usually something wrong: The boy was caught in the act of driving away the stolen car. put on an act To pretend by acting in a false way:...
A to Z From A to Z. From beginning to end, including everything: He memorised the secret code from A to Z. Al Al Excellent; of high standard; first-class; This ship is in A 1 condition. ABC ABC Basic facts; simple...