don’t ask—is used to say that the answer is so depressing one wouldn’t even want to hear it: How did we do in the bridge tournament? Don’t ask! don’t ask me—is used to tell a person that one does not know the answer: She has decided to dye her hair bright green, don’t ask me […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Done like a dog’s dinner and Done up like a dog’s dinner
done like a dog’s dinner —(sl.) completely and utterly defeated (also: done like a dinner): Whatever possessed her to play tennis against Sue? She was done like a dog’s dinner. done up like a dog’s dinner —(sl.) dressed in an ostentatiously flashy manner (also: dressed up like a dog’s dinner): Ask her where she’s been […]
Difference between Dominica and Dominican Republic
Dominica—a country on the island of Dominica of the eastern Caribbean between Guadeloupe and Martinique: Dominica has a two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties. Dominican Republic—a country of the West Indies on the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola: She worked for ten years in the Dominican Republic in […]
Difference between Domestic animals and Domesticated animals
domestic animals—animals kept by or living with man on a farm, etc.: The origin of most of our domestic animals will probably for ever remain vague. domesticated animals—wild animals tamed to live with humans: On this website you will learn how to take care of pets and domesticated animals.
Difference between Dog’s ear and Pig’s ear
dog’s ear—a corner of a page turned down to serve as a book-mark: The book was well-thumbed, with dog’s ears and little slips of paper in it. pig’s ear—(coll., in the phrase “make a pig’s ear of something”) make a mess of smth.; do a task badly: “I’ve made a real pig’s ear of it, […]
Difference between Dog’s dinner and Duck’s dinner
dog’s dinner—(sl.) an untidy mess; a distasteful combination (also: dog’s breakfast): North End is a dog’s dinner of hovels, dives and drinking dens. duck’s dinner—(Austral. sl.) no dinner at all; a drink of water, with nothing to eat: “Make sure he has more than duck’s dinner, okay?” “What?” “He should eat.”
Difference between Dog’s body and Dogsbody
dog’s body— 1. the complete material structure of a dog: A general knowledge of your dog’s body and how it functions will prove helpful in his daily care. 2. the physical remains of a dead dog: The dog’s body remained floating in the canal waters over the weekend. dogsbody—(coll.) a person who carries out menial […]
Difference between Doggone and Gone to the dogs
doggone —(coll.) 1. extremely (used as an intensifier): You don’t expect these tools to be perfect … but the price is doggone good! 2. (in the phrase “I’ll be doggone”) used as an exclamation of annoyance: I’ll be doggone if I am going to stand in the path of small businesses. gone to the dogs […]
Difference between Dog show and Dog’s show
dog show—a display of dogs: There has been a mania for shows; we have had dog shows, donkey shows, and last, not least, horse shows. dog’s show—(coll., usually negat.) the poorest chance: Analysts will discover whether or not this coup has even a dog’s show of succeeding.
Difference between Dog salmon and Dogfish
dog salmon—a salmon of Western North America (Oncorhynchus keta): The meat of the dog salmon is palatable when fresh or smoked. dogfish— 1. various small sharks, chiefly of the family Squalidae, of Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters: The spiny dogfish shark travels in packs. 2. a bony freshwater fish (Amia calva) of central and eastern […]
Difference between Dog man and Hot dog man
dog man— 1. a man in charge of dogs: It is an error of modern dog men to wean puppies too soon. 2. (also: dog person) a man who is characterized by a preference or liking for dogs: I do not particularly care for cats—more of a dog man. hot dog man—a man selling hot […]
Difference between Dog Latin and Pig Latin
dog Latin—bad or inferior Latin: They [speeches] are chiefly made up of extracts from the common school collection … sprinkled with scraps of dog Latin. pig Latin—a jargon formed by rearranging the syllables in a word: The great thing about speaking pig Latin is that it’s not simply a question of learning a new vocabulary. […]