Дамоклов меч - the sword of Damocles: a sword suspended by a single thread, and ready to descend and kill the person sitting below it.

давать взбучку - to give it (to): “Alice gave it to her son for coming home late.”

далеко пойти - to have come a long way: “You have come a long way since we last met. You were a clerk then and now you are the director of publishing house.”

дареному коню в зубы не смотрят - never look a gift horse in the mouth

дать на лапу - to grease someone’s palm: to bribe

дать по ушам - to box the ears (to strike the ears hard, usually as punishment): “You take that back or I’ll box your ears.”

дать тягу - to make tracks for: “It’s getting late. We had better make tracks for home.”

дать урок - to teach a lesson: “He decided to teach the wild actress a lesson.”

двуличный - two-faced: “Paul praised my music when he was in my home, but I found out that he had made from fun of it behind my back. He is very two-faced.”

двумя ногами на земле - with both feet on the ground / to have one’s feet firmly planted on the ground: “Margaret won’t get carried away by a lot of silly notions; she has both feet on the ground.”

девичья фамилия - a maiden name: a wife family name prior to her marriage

девочка на побегушках - Girl Friday: “ Jenny was Girl Friday in our office.”

действовать на нервы - to get on someone’s nerves: ‘The old lady’s complains really got on my nerves.”

действовать наверняка - to play safe: “You had better play safe and go to the railway station right now not to miss the last train.”

делать из мухи слона - to make a mountain out of a molehill

делать хорошую (веселую) мину при плохой игре - to put a bold face on something: “When Harry was told that he has dismissed, he put a bold face on it, and said that he had intended to take another job anyway.”

дело в шляпе - it’s in the bag: “After two hours with the director I was offered a good position in the firm. It’s in the bag!”

Деньги на бочку! - Pay on the nail!

держать (свое) слово - to keep one’s word: “He promised his mother to keep his word.”

держать в ежовых рукавицах - to rule with an iron hand: “He had to rule all the family with an iron hand.”

держать в неведении - to keep in the dark: “ The family had been kept in the dark on the matter before the final solution was made.”

держать голову высоко - to hold one’s head high: “Now you have been acquitted on all the charged, you can hold your head high.”

держать голову высоко - to know which way the wind is blowing: “He was distinguished by his ability to know which way the wind was blowing.”

держать порох сухим - to keep one’s powder dry: “Put your trust in God and keep your powder dry.”

держать рот на замке - to have one’s lips sealed: “This is really confidential so, please, have your lips sealed.”

держать ухо востро - to keep one’s ear open / to keep a weather eye open: “They soon went North; since then August had kept his ears open for news that she was widowed.” / “You should keep a weather eye open with people like that.”

держать ушки на макушке - to prick up one’s ears: “She pricked up her ears when she heard her name mentioned.”

держать язык за зубами - to hold one’s tongue: “If I tell him something in confidence, do you think he can be trusted to hold his tongue?”

держаться ближе к делу - to stick to the point: “A student was asked several times to stick to the point.”

держаться в тени - to keep a low profile: “I had no idea my proposal would arouse so much hostility. I had better keep a low profile for the nest few months.”

держаться на ногах - to keep one’s feet: “After drinking the whole evening he found it difficult to keep his feet.”

держаться на плаву / поверхности - to keep one’s head above water: “I am afraid Philip’s business isn’t doing at all well; he is barely keeping his head above water.”

джентльменское соглашение - a gentleman’s agreement: “We have a gentlman’s agreement, which is as good as a signed contract.”

дитя природы - child of nature: someone who is innately good, even if unpolished

для разнообразия - for a change: “Let’s play another game for a change.”

дни сочтены - one’s days are numbered: “You may not think it, seeing all this fair land, but the days of the human race are numbered.”

до кончиков пальцев - to one’s fingertips: “John was a bureaucrat to his fingertips.”

до посинения - until you are blue in the face: “She can tell her endless story until she is blue in the face.”

дождь льет как из ведра - to rain cats and dogs: “It has been raining cats and dogs for an hour already.”

доживать свои последние дни - to be on one’s (its) last legs: “Mr. Jones hasn’t enough money left to renew his stock; his business is on its last legs.”

дойти до точки - to be at one’s wits end: “I was at my wits end. I could not find the solution of this problem alone.”

достигать совершеннолетия - to come of age: “She was now nearly twenty-one. She was independent both be age and by income.”

дражайшая половина - one’s better half” a humorous reference to one’s wife

дразнить гусей - to frighten the horses: to be indiscreet, to shock public opinion

другими словами - in other words: “We may kill if necessary, but we must not hate and enjoy hating. In other words, the feeling of resentment must be killed inside us.”

дурной глаз - the evil eye / to have an evil eye on someone: a menacing, ominous look

душа общества - the life and soul: “Jack is always the life and soul of the party.”

душа уходит / душа ушла в пятки - with one’s heart in one’s mouth / to have one’s heart in one’s boots / to have one’s heart sink into one’s boots: “When I saw the doctor’s face, my heart sank in my boots.” / “When I heard a knock at the door, my heart was in my mouth.”

душой и телом - body and soul: “What he does, he does body and soul.”