dry-as-dust

or dry·as·dust

[ drahy-uhz-duhst ]

adjective

1. dull and boring:

   a dry-as-dust biography.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dry-as-dust¹

1870–75; after Dr. Dryasdust, a fictitious pedant satirized in the prefaces of Sir Walter Scott's novels

Idioms and Phrases

Dull, boring, as in This text is dry as dust; it's putting me to sleep . [c. 1500]

Example Sentences

It was no use trying to be dry-as-dust since the spring had got into her blood.

From Project Gutenberg

The unwritten history of this wonderful and intrepid body of men must be a long way from the dry-as-dust histories on the shelves.

From Project Gutenberg

They are not dry-as-dust compilations of statistics, but full of interesting matter and delightfully well written.

From Project Gutenberg

A dry-as-dust old fellow, Perry, going to France for some kind of research work.

From Project Gutenberg

It must be rendered interesting and fascinating or it will be no better than the old Dry-as-dust teaching.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• anxious
• dehydrated
• eager
• greedy
• hungry
• impatient
• inclined
• keen
• parched