A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

do without something • go without something
do without something —dispense with smth.; manage in spite
of not having smth.: Many Victorian households did without
a bathroom altogether.
go without something —not have (and suffer the absence of )
smth.: Schools have procedures to ensure students do not go
without lunch.
do you want a bet • you bet
do you want a bet—an emphatic way of saying that what has
been stated is wrong: “You’ll wind up in the hospital,” Claude
said. “Do you want a bet?”
you bet—(also: I bet) an emphatic way of saying “certainly,”
“of course”: “Can you handle this outfit?” “You bet,” said the
scout.
doctor’s orders • just what the doctor ordered
doctor’s orders —said of smth. that one is strongly advised to
do or of an order which cannot be evaded: No one will be ad-
mitted. “Doctor’s orders,” they will be told.
just what the doctor ordered —that’s exactly what is wanted
or needed: The waiter brought her a drink. “Just what the
doctor ordered,” she said, smiling at him.
dog and pony show • show pony
dog and pony show —an elaborate presentation of a new
product, program, etc. designed to impress an audience: They
did a “dog and pony show” for all the faculty and handed out
a survey to gauge interest.
show pony —(UK coll.) an attractive fashionable person, es-
pecially a performer who enjoys being in the limelight: While
on tour, he was the target of an infamous comment from Ge-
offrey who alleged that Cork was a “show pony.”
dog days, the • three dog nights
dog days, the —(also: dog days of summer, the) the hot, sultry
do the dirties with someone
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period of summer (between early July and early September):
During the dog days, air-conditioners are running full-time.