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Proverbs Beginning with [D]

Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!

The darker the berry, the sweeter the juice

The darkest hour is just before dawn

Dead in the water   [A situation where no action is taken and no progress made; frozen; stalled; completely helpless.]

Dead men never bite

Dead men tell no tales

Dead on arrival   [Completely doomed; without hope of survival or success.]

Death before dishonor

Death is a gateway that leads to new life

Death is just a part of life.....the last part.

Death is the great (grand) leveler

Deeds, not words

[He snatched] defeat from the jaws of victory. [A saying]

Defend me from my friends

Desperate diseases must have desperate remedies.

Desperate situations call for desperate measures.

The devil can cite scripture for his purpose

Devil is not

The devil take the hindmost  [To hell with the unfortunate]

The die is cast  [One's mind is made up; the decision has been taken and one is ready to act; there is no going back.]

Different strokes for different folks

Dig the well before you are thirsty

Discretion is the better part of valor [Exercise caution, don't take unnecessary risks]

Divide and conquer

Divide and rule

Do as I say, not as I do

Do as you would be done by

Do not be in a hurry to tie what you cannot untie.--- English proverb

Do not cross the bridge till you come to it.

Do not fold, mutilate, or spindle. [A saying]

Do not go gentle into that good night  [Don't give up your principles or your ideas; hold your ground and never say die.] [Do not go gentle into that good night, / Old age should burn and rave at close of day; / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.---Dylan Thomas, "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"]

Do or die

Do right and fear no man.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you [Do <to others> as you would be done by]

Do you want the good news or the bad first?

Doctor Livingstone, I presume?  [A salutation used to greet a person who has resurfaced after a long absence]

The dog always returns to his vomit   [A person returns to the scene of his crime]

Dog eat dog   [The struggle for survival in life or business turns man into an animal.]

The dog has returned to his vomit again

A dog is a man's best friend

The dogs bark, but the caravan goes on    [Disregard what your enemy is saying, do what are supposed to do.]

Doing is better than saying

Doing well by doing good   [Being successful as a result of being charitable]

Doing nothing is doing ill

Don't add insult to injury

Don't air your dirty linen in public  [One shouldn't make public embarrassing personal matters]

Don't be penny-wise and dollar-foolish

Don't believe anything (everything) you hear nor (and) half of what your read

Don't bite off more than you can chew  [Don't try to do more than you can realistically handle]

Don't bite the hand that feeds you

Don't build castles in the air

Don't burn the (your) candle at both ends  [Don't do two different things at the same time]

Don't burn your bridges behind you [Don't take an irrevocable step without fully considering the consequences]

Don't buy a pig in a poke  [Don't buy anything without carefully examining it. Poke (an old Dutch word) means bag, sack.]

Don't call us, we'll call you  [Don't have high expectations. Stereotypically used by interviewers at the end of an interview.] [A saying]

Don't cast (throw) your pearls before swine

Don't Change horses in midstream

Don't change the rules in the middle of the game

Don't close (bar, lock, shut) the barn (stable) door after the horse runs away (has fled, has been stolen) [Take precautions before any damage or loss occurs, not after it has already happened.]

Don't count your chickens before they hatch (they are hatched)

Don't cross the bridge till you come to it

Don't cry over spilt milk

Don't cut off  your nose to spite your face  [Don't harm yourself just because it might also punish another person.]

Don't do as I do, but as I say

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

Don't drown the man who taught you to swim

Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes [Don't fire until the enemy is close up. Exercise restraint to gain maximum success.]

Don't get mad, get even  [Instead of getting angry,  repay someone's bad deed.]

Don't give up the ship  [Don't surrender.]

Don't have too many irons in the fire  [Don't do more things at the same time than you can handle; don't commit yourself to too many responsibilities.]

Don't hide your light under a bushel   [Don't conceal your talent, skills, or good deeds; don't be too modest.]

Don't hit a man when he's down  [Don't attack someone who is already hurt. Originally a boxing phrase.]

Don't judge a book by its cover

Don't judge a man until you have walked a mile in his boots

Don't jump from the frying pan into the fire  [Don't go from a difficult situation into a worse one.]

Don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg

Don't lead with your chin  [Don't expose yourself to danger. Originated in boxing.]

Don't let the fox guard the henhouse

Don't let the grass grow under your feet  [Act promptly; don't delay.]

Don't lock the stable door after the horse is stolen

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

Don't make a mountain out of a molehill

Don't make the same mistake twice

Don't make waves.

Don't meet troubles half-way

Don't mix business with pleasure

Don't pass judgment, that you may not be judged

Don't play with fire  [Don't take unnecessary risks.]

Don't pour new wine in old bottles

Don't push your luck.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket [Spread your risk]

Don't put new wine in old bottles [Don't put something new in an old frame (case, system, etc.)]

Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today

Don't put the cart before the horse  [Don't get things in the wrong order]

Don't rock the boat  [Don't disturb the status quo; don't upset people and cause problems.]

Don't sell America short

Don't set a wolf to watch the sheep

Don't shoot the messenger [Don't blame the person who brings bad news.]

Don't shoot the piano-player: he's doing the best he can [Don't hurt innocent people.]

Don't shout until you are out of the woods  [Don't feel safe until you are out of danger.]

Don't start anything you can't finish

Don't step on other people's toes

Don't stick your neck out [Don't take unnecessary risks.]

Don't swap horses in midstream [Don't change leaders when they are in the midst of important projects.]

Don't sweat the small stuff. [A saying]

Don't take any wooden nickels  [Don't let yourself be cheated or ripped off.]

Don't take (tear) down a fence (wall) unless you are sure why it was put up [Don't destroy something unless you know why it was built in the first place.]

Don't take the name of the Lord in vain

Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs

Don't tell tales out of school

Don't throw a monkey wrench in the works  [Don't spoil what is running smoothly.]

Don't throw caution to the wind  [Don't make careless and risky moves.]

Don't throw out the baby with the bath water  [Don't throw out the essentials while getting rid of the dregs.]

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Don't tread on me [Respect the sovereignty of the United States.]

Don't tread on other people's toes  [Don't offend others  by saying or doing something unpleasant to them.]

Don't try to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps   [Don't try to succeed on your own, without other people's help.]

Don't (try to) teach your grandmother (how) to suck eggs  [Don't offer advice to people who are more experienced and knowledgeable than you are.]

Don't wash your dirty linen in public

Don't wear your heart on your sleeve  [Don't let other people know how you're feeling or what you're thinking.]

Don't wish too hard: you might just get what you wished for  [You may not be happy with the results if your wish is realized.]

Don't worry. Be happy [A catchphrase]

Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble.  [The chanting of three witches as they were mixing a potion in Shakespeare's Macbeth.]

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde  [The two sides of one person]

A drowning man will clutch at a straw

Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants

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