Do

do a flip-flop (on something) and do an

about-face to make a sudden reversal of

opinion. (Informal or slang.) Without

warning, the government did a flip-flop on

taxation. It had done an about-face on

the question of deductions last year.

do a job on someone or something 1. to dam-

age someone or something; to mess up

someone or something. (Informal or

slang.) The robbers really did a job on

the bank guard. They beat him when they

robbed the bank. The puppy did a job

on my shoes. They are all chewed to pieces.

2. [with something] to defecate on some-

thing. (Informal and euphemistic. Note

the variation in the second example.)

The puppy did a job on the living-room

carpet. It’s supposed to do its job on the

newspapers in the basement.

do a land-office business to do a large

amount of business in a short period of

time. The ice cream shop always does a

land-office business on a hot day. The

tax collector’s office did a land-office busi-

ness on the day that taxes were due.

do an about-face Go to do a flip-flop (on

something).

do an errand Go to run an errand.

do a number on someone or something to

damage or harm someone or something.

(Slang.) The teacher did a number on

the whole class. That test was terrible.

Tom did a number on Mary when he went

out with Ann.

do a snow job on someone to deceive or

confuse someone. (Informal or slang.)

Tom did a snow job on the teacher when

he said that he was sick yesterday. I hate

it when someone does a snow job on me. I

find it harder and harder to trust people.

do away with someone or something 1. [with

someone] to kill someone; to dispose of

someone or something. The crooks did

away with the witness. I was there, too.

I hope they don’t try to do away with me.

2. [with something] to get rid of some-

thing; to dispose of something. This

chemical will do away with the stain in

your sink. The time has come to do away

with that old building.

do credit to someone and do someone credit

to add to the reputation of someone.

Your new job really does credit to you.

Yes, it really does you credit.

Do I need to paint you a picture? It is

so very simple, so why do you require

more explanation to understand it?

What is so difficult? Do I need to paint you

a picture? I’ve explained it every way I

can. Do I need to paint you a picture?

do justice to something 1. to do something

well; to represent or portray something

accurately. Sally did justice to the con-

tract negotiations.   This photograph

doesn’t do justice to the beauty of the

mountains. 2. to eat or drink a great deal.

Bill always does justice to the turkey on

Thanksgiving. The party didn’t do jus-

tice to the roast pig. There were nearly ten

pounds left over.

do not have a care in the world being

free and casual; being unworried and

carefree. (Do not have can be replaced

with be without.) I really feel good to-

day—as if I didn’t have a care in the world.

Ann always acts as if she doesn’t have

a care in the world.

do not have a leg to stand on [for an ar-

gument or a case] to have no support.

(Informal. Do not have can be replaced

with be without.) You may think you’re

in the right, but you don’t have a leg to

stand on. My lawyer said I didn’t have

a leg to stand on, so I shouldn’t sue the

company.

do not have all one’s marbles do not have

all one’s mental capacities. (Also literal.

Informal.) John acts as if he doesn’t

have all his marbles. I’m afraid that I

don’t have all my marbles all the time.

do one’s bit Go to do one’s part.

do one’s duty to do one’s job; to do what is

expected of one. Please don’t thank me.

I’m just doing my duty. Soldiers who

fight in wars are doing their duty.

do oneself proud [for one] to make oneself

proud. (Folksy. See also do credit to some-

one.) Well, Bill really did himself proud

in the horse race. You did yourself proud

by raising that fine-looking, prizewinning

hog.

do one’s (level) best to do (something) as

well as one can. Just do your level best.

That’s all we can ask of you. Tom isn’t

doing his best. We may have to replace

him.

do one’s (own) thing to do what one likes

or what one pleases. (Informal or slang.)

Tom doesn’t like being told what to do.

He prefers to do his own thing. When

you do your thing, you have no one but

yourself to blame if things don’t work out.

do one’s part and do one’s bit to do one’s

share of the work; to do whatever one can

do to help. All people everywhere must

do their part to help get things under con-

trol. I always try to do my bit. How can

I help this time?

do or die to do something or die trying.

(Refers to an attitude adopted when one

must do something whether one wants to

or not. Occurs as a noun or an adjective.)

It was do or die. There was no turning

back now. He simply had to get to the

airport on time. It was a case of do or die.

do so Go to do too.

do somehow by someone to treat someone in

a particular manner. (Informal. Do not

confuse this with a passive construction.

The someone is not the actor but the ob-

ject.) Tom did all right by Ann when

he brought her red roses. I did badly by

Tom. I fired him.

do someone a good turn to do something

that is helpful to someone. My neigh-

bor did me a good turn by lending me his

car. The teacher did me a good turn

when he told me to work harder.

do someone a kindness to do a kind deed

for a person. My neighbor did me a

kindness when he cut my grass. I am al-

ways happy to have the opportunity of do-

ing someone a kindness.

do someone damage to harm someone. (In-

formal.) I hope she doesn’t plan to do

me damage.  They did us damage by

telling the whole story to the newspapers.

do someone good to benefit someone. (In-

formal.) A nice hot bath really does me

good. A few years in the army would do

you good.

do someone one better Go to go someone

one better.

do someone or something in 1. [with someone]

to make someone tired. That tennis

game really did me in. Yes, hard activ-

ity will do you in. 2. [with someone] to

cheat someone; to take someone in. The

crooks did the widow in. T They did in the

widow by talking her into giving them all

the money in her bank account. 3. [with

someone] to kill someone. T The crooks

did in the bank guard. T They’ll proba-

bly do in the witnesses soon. 4. [with

something] to destroy something. T The

huge waves totally did in the seaside com-

munity. The fire did the wooden build-

ing in.

do someone out of something to cheat some-

one out of something. (Informal or

slang.) They did the widow out of her

life savings. I won’t let anyone do me out

of anything. I’m a very cautious and sus-

picious person.

do someone’s bidding to do what is re-

quested by someone. The servant

grumbled but did his employer’s bidding.

Am I expected to do your bidding when-

ever you ask?

do someone’s heart good to make someone

feel good emotionally. (Also literal. In-

formal.) It does my heart good to hear

you talk that way. When she sent me a

get-well card, it really did my heart good.

do something by hand to do something with

one’s hands rather than with a machine.

The computer was broken so I had to

do the calculations by hand. All this tiny

stitching was done by hand. Machines can-

not do this kind of work.

do something fair and square to do some-

thing fairly. (Folksy. See also fair and

square.) He always plays the game fair

and square. I try to treat all people fair

and square.

do something for a living to do some kind

of work to earn enough money to live.

John paints houses for a living. What

do you do for a living?

do something hands down to do something

easily and without opposition. The

mayor won the election hands down.

She was the choice of the people hands

down.

do something in a heartbeat to do some-

thing almost immediately. If I had the

money, I would go back to college in a

heartbeat. Just tell me that you need me

and I’ll come there in a heartbeat.

do something in person to appear some-

where and do something oneself rather

than sending someone else or doing it

over the telephone, or by mail. I know

the money should be in his account. I saw

him put it there in person. The famous

actor came to the hospital and greeted each

patient in person.

do something in public to do something

where anyone looking could see it. You

should dress neatly when you appear in

public. I wish that you wouldn’t talk to

me so rudely in public. Bob, you must

behave properly in public.

do something in secret to do something pri-

vately or secretly. Why do you always

do things like that in secret? There is no

need to count your money in secret.

do something in vain to do something with

no result; to do something that fails.

They rushed her to the hospital, but they

did it in vain. We tried in vain to get her

there on time.

do something on the fly to do something

while one is moving; to do something (to

something that is in motion). (Slang.

This has nothing to do with actual

flight.) We can’t stop the machine to oil

it now. You’ll have to do it on the f ly. We

will have to find the break in the film on

the f ly—while we are showing it.

do something on the run to do something

while one is moving hurriedly; to do

something while one is going rapidly

from one place to another. (Informal.)

I was very busy today and had to eat on

the run. I didn’t have time to meet with

Bill, but I was able to talk to him on the

run.

supposed to be losing weight, but she was

snacking on the sly.

do something over (again) to redo some-

thing; to repeat the doing of something.

This isn’t right. You’ll have to do it over

again. The teacher made me do my pa-

per over.

do something the hard way 1. to accomplish

something in the most difficult manner,

rather than by an easier way. I made it

to this job the hard way. I came up through

the ranks. She did it the hard way. She

had no help from her parents. 2. to do

something the wrong way. No, you

can’t pound in nails like that. You’re do-

ing it the hard way. I’m sorry. I learn

things the hard way.

do something to excess to do too much of

something; to consume too much of

something. Anne often drinks to excess

at parties. John smokes to excess when

he works.

do something up to repair or redecorate

something. If we’re going to sell the

house, we’ll have to do it up. T I’m going

to do up the kitchen.

do something up brown to do something

just right. (Folksy. Refers to cooking

something until it has just the right

amount of brownish color.) Of course

I can do it right. I’ll really do it up brown.

Come on, Bob. Let’s do it right this time.

I know you can do it up brown.

do something with a vengeance to do some-

thing with vigor; to do something ener-

getically as if one were angry with it.

(Folksy.) Bob is building that fence with

a vengeance. Mary is really weeding her

garden with a vengeance.

do the dishes to wash and dry dishes,

glasses, cups, knives, forks, etc., after a

meal. Bill, you cannot go out and play

until you’ve done the dishes. Why am I

always the one who has to do the dishes?

you do the honors?” Mr. Jones smiled and

began slicing thick slices of meat from the

The mayor stood up and ad-

dressed the people who were still eating

their salads. “I’m delighted to do the hon-

ors this evening and propose a toast to your

friend and mine, Bill Jones. Bill, good luck

and best wishes in your new job in Wash-

ington.” And everyone sipped a bit of wine.

do the trick to do exactly what needs to

be done. (Folksy.) Push it just a little

more to the left. There, that does the trick.

If you lend me five dollars, I’ll have

enough to do the trick.

do too and do so to do something (despite

anything to the contrary). (An emphatic

way of saying do. See also be too, have

BOB: You don’t have your money

with you. BILL: I do too! He does so! I

saw him put it in his pocket. She did too.

I saw her do it.

dog-eat-dog a situation in which one has

to act ruthlessly in order to survive or

succeed; ruthless competition.

dog-eat-dog in the world of business these

days. Universities are not quiet peaceful

places. It’s dog-eat-dog to get a promotion.

dog in the manger one who prevents other

people from doing or having what one

does not wish them to do or have. (From

one of Aesop’s fables in which a dog—

which cannot eat hay—lay in the hayrack

[manger] and prevented the other ani-

mals from eating the hay.) Jane is a real

dog in the manger. She cannot drive, but

she will not lend anyone her car. If Mar-

tin were not such a dog in the manger, he

would let his brother have that dinner

jacket he never wears.

dollar for dollar considering the amount

of money involved; considering the cost.

(Informal. Often seen in advertising.)

Dollar for dollar, you cannot buy a better

car. Dollar for dollar, this laundry de-

tergent washes cleaner and brighter than

any other product on the market.