on the dry | Idiomator

Meaning: (idiomatic,informal,British,Ireland)temporarily refraining from drinking alcohol1985August 24, Jeffrey Bernard, “Low life: High and dry”, inThe Spectator, page34:I bumped into an old mate of mine, Bill, the other day whom I was banged up with in 1972 in St Bernard's Hospital. He'son the drynow but he told me he has had several lapses since we left muttering that it was all going to be different tomorrow.2013, Robert Sellers, “A Date with Cronenburg”, inWhat Fresh Lunacy is This?: The Authorized Biography of Oliver Reed, Little, Brown Book Group,→ISBN, page175:Then, maybe two weeks before cameras rolled, he'd put the blinkers on again and totally focus on it, and that included staying off the booze. 'I'mon the dry,' he'd announce.2013July 13, “Jessie Jon the drysince last October”, inIrish Examiner:Jessie J hasn't had an alcoholic drink since October 15, 2012. The 'Wild' singer can remember the exact date she last touched booze and claims she only ever drinks on very special occasions because alcohol leaves her lethargic and she worries it might ruin her career.

Examples:

EN: I believe for today we've put Henkel on the dry (Henkel "trocken/dry" = German Mousseux) wonderful good-bye
ES: y esta noche tenemos nuestra fiesta. Creo que Henkel no tiene nada que hacer hoy. Maravilloso.
EN: And it happened on the dry heath, among the people who live there.
ES: Y ocurrió en el páramo seco, entre la gente que vive allí.
EN: But the flower is the miracle on the dry, bare heath.
ES: Pero la flor es el milagro en el páramo seco y desnudo.
EN: And the miracle is like the flower on the dry, bare heath.
ES: Y el milagro es como la flor en el páramo seco y desnudo.
EN: He sat near her on the dry leaves.
ES: Se sentó... a su lado. Sobre las hojas secas.
EN: But sometimes I like it a little bit on the dry side, too.
ES: -Pero a veces me gusta un poquito el seco, también.
EN: Only Escudo's footsteps can be heard on the dry earth.
ES: Solo las pisadas de Escudo pueden oírse en ésta tierra seca.
EN: I fear to see the boats aground on the dry river bed
ES: Tengo miedo de ver las barcas encalladas en el lecho seco del río
EN: Puffs away on the dry hookah
ES: Fuma del seco narguilé...
EN: Once in a long while, a dewdrop will hang in just the right spot at the right time, to focus the sun's rays on the dry, combustible thatch.
ES: A veces, una gota de rocío en el lugar justo en el momento justo, refleja los rayos de sol sobre la paja seca.
EN: Mummified fish lie scattered on the dry, cracked surface.
ES: Peces momificados se esparcen en la superficie árida.
EN: We are made to swim in the centre of the stream. Not to wait on the dry banks.
ES: Estamos hechos para nadar en la corriente y no para encallar en la orilla.
EN: - I put my hand on the dry ice. - Daddy's not here now.
ES: Papá no está ahora cariño.
EN: It's hell on the dry-cleaning bill.
ES: La cuenta de la tintorería es muy alta.
EN: Dad's was always a little on the dry side.
ES: -Las de papá siempre estaban secas.

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