make the dust fly

noun

1. earth or other matter in fine, dry particles.
2. a cloud of finely powdered earth or other matter in the air.
3. any finely powdered substance, as sawdust.
4. the ground; the earth’s surface.
5. the substance to which something, as the dead human body, is ultimately reduced by disintegration or decay; earthly remains.
6. British.
   1. ashes, refuse, etc.
   2. junk1(def 1).
7. a low or humble condition.
8. anything worthless.
9. disturbance; turmoil.
10. gold dust.
11. the mortal body of a human being.
12. a single particle or grain.
13. Archaic. money; cash.

verb (used with object)

14. to wipe the dust from: to dust a table.
15. to sprinkle with a powder or dust: to dust rosebushes with an insecticide.
16. to strew or sprinkle (a powder, dust, or other fine particles): to dust insecticide on a rosebush.
17. to soil with dust; make dusty.

verb (used without object)

18. to wipe dust from furniture, woodwork, etc.
19. to become dusty.
20. to apply dust or powder to a plant, one’s body, etc.: to dust with an insecticide in late spring.

Idioms

21. bite the dust,
    1. to be killed, especially in battle; die.
    2. to suffer defeat; be unsuccessful; fail: Another manufacturer has bitten the dust.
22. dust off,
    1. Baseball.(of a pitcher) to throw the ball purposely at or dangerously close to (the batter).
    2. to take out or prepare for use again, as after a period of inactivity or storage: I’m going to dust off my accounting skills and try to get a job in the finance department.
    3. to beat up badly: The gang of hoodlums dusted off a cop.
23. leave one in the dust, to overtake and surpass a competitor or one who is less ambitious, qualified, etc.: Don’t be so meek, they’ll leave you in the dust.
24. lick the dust,
    1. to be killed; die.
    2. to humble oneself abjectly; grovel: He will resign rather than lick the dust.
25. make the dust fly, to execute with vigor or speed: We turned them loose on the work, and they made the dust fly.
26. shake the dust from one’s feet, to depart in anger or disdain; leave decisively or in haste, especially from an unpleasant situation: As the country moved toward totalitarianism, many of the intelligentsia shook the dust from their feet.
27. throw dust in someone’s eyes, to mislead; deceive: He threw dust in our eyes by pretending to be a jeweler and then disappeared with the diamonds.

noun

1. dry fine powdery material, such as particles of dirt, earth or pollen
2. a cloud of such fine particles
3. the powdery particles to which something is thought to be reduced by death, decay, or disintegration
4. 1. the mortal body of man
   2. the corpse of a dead person
5. the earth; ground
6. informal a disturbance; fuss (esp in the phrases kick up a dust, raise a dust)
7. something of little or no worth
8. informal (in mining parlance) silicosis or any similar respiratory disease
9. short for gold dust
10. ashes or household refuse
11. bite the dust
    1. to fail completely or cease to exist
    2. to fall down dead
12. dust and ashes something that is very disappointing
13. leave someone or something in the dust to outdo someone or something comprehensively or with easeleaving their competitors in the dust
14. shake the dust off one’s feet to depart angrily or contemptuously
15. throw dust in the eyes of to confuse or mislead

verb

16. (tr) to sprinkle or cover (something) with (dust or some other powdery substance)to dust a cake with sugar; to dust sugar onto a cake
17. to remove dust by wiping, sweeping, or brushing
18. archaic to make or become dirty with dust

n.Old English dust, from Proto-Germanic *dunstaz (cf. Old High German tunst “storm, breath,” German Dunst “mist, vapor,” Danish dyst “milldust,” Dutch duist), from PIE *dheu- (1) “dust, smoke, vapor” (cf. Sanskrit dhu- “shake,” Latin fumus “smoke”). Meaning “that to which living matter decays” was in Old English, hence, figuratively, “mortal life.” v.c.1200, “to rise as dust;” later “to sprinkle with dust” (1590s) and “to rid of dust” (1560s); from dust (n.). Related: Dusted; dusting. Sense of “to kill” is U.S. slang first recorded 1938 (cf. bite the dust under bite (v.)). Also, make the feathers or fur fly. Stir matters up, cause a commotion or disturbance. For example, When she saw the dog sleeping on her new bedspread, she really made the dust fly, or As soon as he learns who dented his car, he’ll make the feathers fly, or She’d better not interfere or he’ll make the fur fly. The first usage alludes to the results of a vigorous house-cleaning effort. The two variants, both dating from the early 1800s, allude to what happens when a hunting dog is set on a bird or rabbit. In addition to the idiom beginning with dust

dust off

also see:

bite the dust

dry as dust

in the dust

make the dust fly

shake the dust from one’s feet

throw dust in someone’s eyes

watch my dust

when the dust has settled