| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| a dog's breakfast |
a mixture of many things, a hodgepodge
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This book is a dog's breakfast. It contains a bit of everything.
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| a dog's life |
a poor life, hard times
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Without a job, it's a dog's life.
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| a doggy bag |
a bag or container for food you don't eat at the restaurant or café
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If we can't eat all the lobster, ask for a doggy bag and we'll take it home. We can have it for lunch tomorrow.
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| a double-edged sword |
a device that can help you and hurt you
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Truth is a double-edged sword. It can imprison me or set me free.
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| a downer (drug) |
a drug that relaxes you, a sedative
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Before bedtime he took a downer to help him relax and sleep.
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| a downer (sadness) |
an event or statement that causes sadness
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News of the war was a downer. Most of the people dreaded war.
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| a drag |
a boring time, a yawner
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Mary's party was a drag. We just sat around and talked.
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| a dressing down |
a scolding, a lecture, a piece of my mind
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Mother gave me a dressing down when I said bad words.
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| a drop in the bucket |
a small part, a tiny piece, the tip of the iceberg
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This donation is only a drop in the bucket, but it is appreciated.
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| a duke's mixture |
an odd combination of things, a strange mixture of items, a dog's breakfast, Fibber McGee's closet
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When Lynn opened the lid of the box she found a duke's mixture - everything from jewelry to birdseed!
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