Daisy Roots
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for Boots.
Use in #sentence: I can't get them on either my feet have got bigger or these daisies have shrunk.

Day Surgery
Meaning: Minor surgery that does not require the patient to stay in hospital overnight.
Use in #sentence: I've got to have a gallstone operation luckily it doesn't take long it will be a day surgery job.

Daylight Saving Time
Meaning: The adjustment of clocks to provide longer evening daylight.
Use in #sentence: I can never work out if daylight saving time gives me an hour more in bed or an hour less.

Dead Ringer
Meaning: An exact duplicate.
Use in #sentence: I Can't tell the twins apart theyre dead ringers of each other.

Dead White European Male
Meaning: Derogatory reference to someone who has an unjustified reputation.
Use in #sentence: John Ruskin is a hero to some people in the art world but I can't see him as anything other than a dead white European male.

Designated Driver
Meaning: Someone who agrees not to drink alcohol at a social event in order to be sober enough to drive others home.
Use in #sentence: It really wasn't my turn to be designated driver this week but I was late arriving and by the time I got there all the others were already drunk.

Dial Down
Meaning: Adjust a device to reduce sound or temperature reduce one's emotional reaction to something.
Use in #sentence: It's boiling in here just dial down the thermostat would you? okay so your favourite didnt win x factor no need to bite the carpet just dial it down a notch.

Dicky Dirt
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for Shirt.
Use in #sentence: Janes wedding today ill need a newly pressed dickie dirt for that.

Dog And Bone
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for Telephone.
Use in #sentence: I need to talk to Jackie get her on the dog and bone for me would you?.

Dog Days Of Summer
Meaning: The hottest days of the summer season.
Use in #sentence: I'm roasting I suppose we should expect that on the dog days.

Donkey's Years
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for ears a very long time.
Use in #sentence: Prince Charles has a fine pair of donkey's this is the first school reunion we've had since 1998 I haven't seen some of these people in donkey's years.

Don't Bite The Hand That Feeds You
Meaning: Don't hurt someone that helps you.
Use in #sentence: Shouting at the people who are offering you somewhere to stay isn't a good plan have you never heard of the proverb Don't bite the hand that feeds you?.

Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch
Meaning: Don't count on receiving some benefit until you actually have it.
Use in #sentence: I know you felt good about that exam but you haven't passed until you get the result Don't count your chickens.

Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk
Meaning: Don't fret pointlessly about some mistake or loss when it can't be remedied.
Use in #sentence: Well the vase is smashed there's no point crying over spilt milk.

Don't Give Up The Day Job
Meaning: Said to someone who is a poor performer at a task suggesting that they wouldn't be able to succeed at it professionally.
Use in #sentence: Your singing is way off keymate don't give up the day job will you.

Don't Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth
Meaning: When you receive a gift accept it with good grace and don't find fault with it.
Use in #sentence: I gave her a $700 phone and she said it wasn't the right colour talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth!.

Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket
Meaning: Don't risk all your property on a single venture.
Use in #sentence: Well that horse is a good runner but I wouldn't bet all your money on it to win that would be putting all your eggs into one basket.

Double Denim
Meaning: Denim jeans worn with a denim shirt or jacket.
Use in #sentence: He only ever wears blue and usually It's jeans and a shirt the full double denim.

Double Header
Meaning: A sports expression denoting two events held at the same time.
Use in #sentence: The semi finals are always played together as a double header to give no team an advantage.

Down To The Wire
Meaning: Not decided until the very last minute.
Use in #sentence: Jonny wilkinsons last minute score in the world cup gave England the win it went right down to the wire.

Dressed To The Nines
Meaning: Very smartly dressed in one's best clothes.
Use in #sentence: It's my daughters wedding today all the family will be dressed to the nines.

Drink Like A Fish
Meaning: Drink very heavily.
Use in #sentence: Dean Martin drank like a fish.

Drive Someone Up The Wall
Meaning: Irritate or annoy very much.
Use in #sentence: He wouldn't stop going on about it he was driving me up the wall.

Dropping Like Flies
Meaning: Many people either falling ill or dying.
Use in #sentence: In the black death in 1348 londoners were dropping like flies.

Dry Run
Meaning: A rehearsal.
Use in #sentence: We need more practice let's have another dry run.

Duvet Day
Meaning: A work day which an employee is allowed to spend at home relaxing.
Use in #sentence: Wednesday all worked so hard getting the latest design out on time the boss rewarded us with a duvet day to do whatever we wanted.

Ear Popping
Meaning: Sound that is loud or that catches the attention.
Use in #sentence: Led Zeppelin were good on stage and ear poppingly loud.

Easy Peasy
Meaning: Something that is extremely easy often used by children sometimes used by adults to demote an achievement that was accomplished with little apparent effort.
Use in #sentence: Jenny must have loosened the jar lid she couldn't get it off but when she gave it to me it just screwed right off easy peasy.

Eighty Six
Meaning: Referring to an item on a menu that is no longer available.
Use in #sentence: I would have had the Mushroom Risotto but they're eighty sixed it.

Elbow Grease
Meaning: Energetic labour especially in the polishing of household items.
Use in #sentence: That silver will never get a shine like that put some elbow grease into it.

Elvis Has Left The Building
Meaning: The primary performer has left there's no point waiting around.
Use in #sentence: Go away were closed It's all over nothing to see here elvis has left the building do I need to go on?.

Enhanced Interrogation Techniques
Meaning: Euphemism for torture.
Use in #sentence: The CIA might call water boarding an enhanced interrogation technique most people call it torture.

Ethnic Cleansing
Meaning: The singling out and killing of a specific ethnic group.
Use in #sentence: The ethnic cleansing of the croats in the Bosnian War left the country open wide to the Serbs.

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining
Meaning: An encouragement to be optimistic even bad events have a good side to them.
Use in #sentence: Okay he wasn't faithful but at least you found out now rather than after the wedding every cloud has a silver lining.

Everything But The Kitchen Sink
Meaning: Everything imaginable.
Use in #sentence: I said she could stay for a few days but there's hardly room she brought everything but the kitchen sink.

Excuse My French
Meaning: Please forgive me for swearing.
Use in #sentence: Bugger excuse my French.

Eyebrow Raising
Meaning: Something that creates shock or surprise.
Use in #sentence: Everyone expected brokeback mountain to get the Oscar when the announcement said Crash had won it was truly eyebrow raising.

Face Card
Meaning: The jack queen or king in a set of playing cards.
Use in #sentence: Cutting the pack and getting a face card isn't as unlikely as some might think theres a 3% chance of that.

Face The Music
Meaning: Accept the unwelcome consequences of ones own actions.
Use in #sentence: Jack pretended he had a PHD to get the job now It's come out that he hasn't hell have to face the music and resign.

Factory Farming
Meaning: Rearing livestock under industrial conditions.
Use in #sentence: I'm dead against factory farming of pigs I prefer to see them out in the open air rooting about for their food.

Fairytale Ending
Meaning: A happy simplistic ending to a story similar to those found in fairy tales.
Use in #sentence: Disney stories are great for kids but their fairytale endings don't match real life for adults.

Far Cry From
Meaning: Very different from.
Use in #sentence: Cliff Richard was Englands answer to Elvis but in reality he was a far cry from that.

Feeding Frenzy
Meaning: A frantic competition or exploitation like a group shark attack.
Use in #sentence: When Princess Diana was killed there was a feeding frenzy of journalists trying to get the story.

Fell Off The Back Of A Lorry
Meaning: A coy reference to an item that has been stolen.
Use in #sentence: That Ipad I just bought in the pub was really cheap best not to ask me where it came from let's just say it fell off the back of a lorry.

Field Day
Meaning: A day noted for remarkable or exciting events.
Use in #sentence: When my daughter was married everyone had a real field day.

Find Your Feet
Meaning: To become conscious of and develop ones expertise.
Use in #sentence: I didn't cope well when I started my new job but after a few weeks I began to find my feet.

Fire The Imagination
Meaning: Inspire with enthusiasm.
Use in #sentence: I didn't agree with Billy Grahams views but his fervent delivery really fired the imagination of those who did.

First Among Equals
Meaning: The most senior person in a group of equal rank.
Use in #sentence: The British Prime Ministership is a cabinet post no different from his colleagues but the position is always considered to be the first among equals.

First Footing
Meaning: Making a round of visit's at new year.
Use in #sentence: As soon as the clock strikes midnight on 31st december well be off around town first footing all our neighbours.

First World Problem
Meaning: A relatively trivial problem only affecting the affluent.
Use in #sentence: Jacks complaining again that his 48 inch screen is giving him eyestrain thats a first world problem if there ever was.

First World
Meaning: The industrialised affluent and wealthy Nations.
Use in #sentence: The rise of China and India means we may have to redefine the first world before long.

Fixed In Your Ways
Meaning: Unwilling to change from your habitual way of doing things.
Use in #sentence: A glass of sherry at six every evening for the past thirty years grandma is really fixed in her ways.

Flea Market
Meaning: A market used to buy and sell inexpensive goods the kind of place that might sell carpets infested with fleas.
Use in #sentence: I need some cheap costume jewelry for the school play maybe the flea market would be the place.

Flesh And Blood
Meaning: One's family the bodily stuff we are made of.
Use in #sentence: 1 we aren't putting dad into a home he is our flesh and blood after all It's so hot in here almost more than flesh and blood can stand.

Flog A Dead Horse
Meaning: To attempt to make progress with something that has no future.
Use in #sentence: Reissuing betamax tapes? you're flogging a dead horse there mate.

Flotsam And Jetsam
Meaning: Assorted bit's and pieces of rubbish; especially items that are found in the sea.
Use in #sentence: You could say that the cardboard boxes that I've moved from house to house without unpacking are the flotsam and jetsam of my life.

Foam At The Mouth
Meaning: To show vehement rage.
Use in #sentence: He was mad as hell really foaming at the mouth.

Food Fight
Meaning: Chaotic collective behaviour where items of food are thrown about wildly.
Use in #sentence: It was supposed to be a quiet wedding reception but some of the girls got drunk and started a food fight there were canapes and buns flying everywhere.

Fools Gold
Meaning: Something that appears valuable but really isnt like iron pyrites a worthless mineral that resembles gold.
Use in #sentence: The investment promised 80% returns but turned out to make a loss just fools gold I guess.

Frog And Toad
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for road.
Use in #sentence: Hurry up and move the car I can see a traffic warden coming just down the frog and toad.

Fuddy Duddy
Meaning: An old fashioned and foolish type of person.
Use in #sentence: He irons his socks. he's a real fuddy duddy.

Full Monty
Meaning: Everything possible. the whole thing.
Use in #sentence: Six sixes in one over. he really gave it the full Monty.

Full Of Bull
Meaning: Talking hot air.
Use in #sentence: He claims that he was taught to to wire walk by his parents in the circus, but he's full of bull I know his father was a green grocer.

Funny Farm
Meaning: A mental hospital.
Use in #sentence: Sadly, Jack was so psychotic they had to take him to the funny farm.

Gee Gee
Meaning: Childish term for a horse.
Use in #sentence: Now Jimmy, whats that picture? is it a bar Lamb or is it a Gee Gee?.

Gender Bender
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for daft.
Use in #sentence: That handstand on the window ledge. you could say he was brave or you could say he was george raft.

George Raft
Meaning: Earn a merit point for doing well.
Use in #sentence: Well done Juliet. 100% in your maths test you are due a gold star.

Get A Gold Star
Meaning: Concern yourself with the basic and important realities.
Use in #sentence: Were broke. this is no time for fanciful ideas we need to get down to brass tacks and raise some money.

Get On Board
Meaning: Accept and participate with an idea or project.
Use in #sentence: I didn't like John's proposal for the new product line to begin with but when I heard his case for it I got on board and did my best to help.

Get Out Of Hand
Meaning: Become chaotic and uncontrollable.
Use in #sentence: It started with just a few crisps being flicked about but it soon got completely out of hand and turned into a full scale food fight.

Get Out Of The Wrong Side Of The Bed
Meaning: Be grumpy because you are having a bad day.
Use in #sentence: He shouted at me for nothing. must have got out of the wrong side of the bed.

Get Over It
Meaning: Move beyond something that is bothering you.
Use in #sentence: Okay she left him, but that was two years ago. He needs to get over it and move on.

Get Your Head Around
Meaning: Understand something, especially something difficult to comprehend because it is complex or surprising.
Use in #sentence: Jill's mother had a baby girl after Jill had baby Jimmy, so Jimmy now has an Auntie who is younger than him! that's weird. it took me a while to get my head around that.

Ginger Beer
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for Queer.
Use in #sentence: Julian is ginger and I don't mean that he's got red hair.

Give The Benefit Of The Doubt
Meaning: Decide to believe a statement which isn't proven.
Use in #sentence: He says he used to run the 100 yards in 10 seconds.

Give The Slip
Meaning: To get away from. to escape.
Use in #sentence: He nearly caught us but we gave him the slip by ducking into the Alley.

Glass Ceiling
Meaning: An unacknowledged or unseen discriminatory barrier that prevents women and minorities from rising to positions of power.
Use in #sentence: I've more experience, better qualifications and work harder than my male co workers, yet I still don't get promoted and no one tells me why. I guess that's what they call the glass ceiling.

Gnat's Bollock
Meaning: A very small (imaginary) unit of measurement.
Use in #sentence: I was lucky to survive the bullets were flying everywhere. one missed me by a gnat's bollock.

Go For Broke
Meaning: Put every resource into getting a particular result.
Use in #sentence: We needed a goal so we went for broke to score and forgot about defence.

Go Out On A Limb
Meaning: Take a risk to support someone or something.
Use in #sentence: He knew his boss was an army man, so saying that he was against the war was really going out on a limb.