DWW 17

• Clam up - refuse to talk or answer
• come/fall apart at the seams - to be in a very poor condition and near to collapse
• come up/out smelling like a rose - to have people believe that you are good or honest after a difficult situation that could have made you seem bad or dishonest
• cool one's heels - to be kept waiting for a long time, usually by someone in power or authority
• cook with gas - to perform with skill, energy, enthusiasm, and excellence
• a dead duck - someone or something that is unlikely to be successful, especially because of a mistake or bad judgement
• dime a dozen - to be common and/or of very little value
• dog-eat-dog world - used to describe a situation which people would do anything to be successful, even if what they do harms other people
• don't count your chickens before they hatch - you should not make plans that depend on something good happening before you know that it has actually happened
• a drop in the bucket - something small and unimportant especially when compared with something else