Dice_2

 

Dicey Ds?

Dip, drop, draw … verbs starting with the letter “D” may not always sound inspiring. But when they form compounds such as “dip in“, “drop by” and “draw up“, among others, they make for promising ideas. See some examples you may not have thought of.

 

 

 

dawn on

To realize or become aware of

Example: It dawned on them that the hike would be more than a Sunday stroll.

 

die for

To want something very much

Example: I’d die for some ice cream right now!

 

dip into

To undertake superficially

Example: We dipped into the art of fine dining before our trip to France.

 

do away with

To dispose of, eliminate or abolish

Example: Her goal? To do away with social injustice.

Or:

To kill

Example: The villain tried to do away with Batman, but he had no chance.

 

do in

To tire or become exhausted

Example: After climbing my third mountain in two days, I was done in.

 

do over

To repeat

Example: After he kicked wildly and missed the ball, he shouted, “Do over!”

Or:

To redecorate, refurbish

Example: To do over the whole apartment would have taken half a year.

 

do up

To close

Example: “Do up the tent’s zipper. If we wait any longer, it will be too cold!”

Or:

To improve or renovate

Example: The farmhouse is wonderful, but it needs some doing up.

Or:

To wrap

Example: To present the car as a special gift, they did it up with colourful paper and a large bow.

Or:

To dress in nice clothes or put make-up on

Example: They spent hours doing themselves up before the dance.

 

do with

To need or want

Example: I could do with an ice-cold beer on this hot summer’s day!

 

do without

To give up or forego

Example: We did without Cheerios and ate corn flakes.

 

drag on

To continue for a long time

Example: The game dragged on until it became too dark to play.

 

draw down

To reduce

Example: The military needed to draw down troops or face disputes with the local government.

 

draw from

To obtain

Example: The residents drew inspiration from Superman’s kindness.

 

draw in

To become shorter (in time) or approach the end

Example: When the night draws in, the birds begin to sing.

 

draw on

To use information or knowledge

Example: The artisan drew on his background in design to decorate the birthday cake.

Or:

To suck smoke in

Example: He drew slowly on the cigarette before making his move.

 

draw out

To become or last longer

Example: The days draw out in the spring and lead to summer.

 

draw up

To design

Example: The architect drew up the plans.

Or:

To conceive

Example: They couldn’t have drawn up a better plan.

Or:

To come to a halt

Example: Could you just draw up near the garage so we can check your tires?

 

dress down

To dress informally

Example: Her idea of dressing down did not correspond to the fashion show’s rules.

Or:

To reprimand

Example: The coach dressed down the players for not trying harder to win.

 

dress up

To dress in formal clothes

Example: The students dressed up for the prom.

Or:

To improve

Example: She dressed up her speech with famous quotes and some jokes.

 

drop by

To deliver

Example: He dropped this note by.

Or:

To visit unexpectedly

Example: I was in the shower when they dropped by.

 

drop in

To visit unexpectedly

Example: The station manager didn’t appreciate the contestants dropping in on him.

 

drop off

To fall asleep

Example: They tend to drop off when watching golf tournaments on TV.

Or:

To let out, deliver

Example: I can drop you off near your house.

 

drop out

To abandon, cease or quit

Example: Students may drop out of college if they don’t like their teachers.

 

dry up

To become barren or unproductive

Example: His humour dried up as he got older.

Or:

To stop talking or speaking

Example: When they’re in class, they just dry up.

 



Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *