dust off
Idioms-
Restore to use. For example, I've dusted off last year's menu for the party . This usage alludes to cleaning and thereby renewing some object. [Mid-1900s]
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Pitch a baseball dangerously close to the batter's head, as in I'm sure he dusted him off on purpose . [ Slang ; 1920s]
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Finish off, kill; also, easily defeat. For example, They vowed to dust off the old man , or We'll dust off this team in no time . [ Slang ; c. 1940]
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Thrash, beat up, as in If he didn't hand over his wallet, they threatened to dust him off . [ Slang ; 1920s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I splashed the dust off my face at the pump and took a nice long drink.
From Literature
It’s only when we’ve reached home that he lets out a heavy sigh, the kind that whooshes dust off the dashboard.
From Literature
“So, it’s become my storage area. But I’ve been thinking, maybe it’s time to dust off the dream and make it a reality. No better time than the present, right?”
From Literature
Aunt Kitty was brushing dust off her sleeves as we let our horses walk along the lane outside Atkinson.
From Literature
“Look to your left,” my aunt said softly, her voice close to my ear now as she pretended to dust off my wool wrap, “but don’t make a show of it.”
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
