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[duhs-ting] /ˈdʌs tɪŋ/

noun
1.
a light application:
a dusting of powder.
2.
a beating; defeat:
He gave his opponent a good dusting.
[duhst] /dʌst/
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.

7.
a low or humble condition.
8.
anything worthless.
9.
disturbance; turmoil.
10.
.
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 .
verb (used without object)
18.
to wipe dust from furniture, woodwork, etc.
19.
to become .
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,

22.
dust off,

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,

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.
/dʌst/
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.

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

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 ease: leaving 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.
(transitive) 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.)).

noun

Narcotics in powder form (1960s+ Narcotics)

verb

Related Terms

angel dust, eat someone’s dust, happy-dust, heaven dust

Storms of sand and dust sometimes overtake Eastern travellers. They are very dreadful, many perishing under them. Jehovah threatens to bring on the land of Israel, as a punishment for forsaking him, a rain of “powder and dust” (Deut. 28:24). To cast dust on the head was a sign of mourning (Josh. 7:6); and to sit in dust, of extreme affliction (Isa. 47:1). “Dust” is used to denote the grave (Job 7:21). “To shake off the dust from one’s feet” against another is to renounce all future intercourse with him (Matt. 10:14; Acts 13:51). To “lick the dust” is a sign of abject submission (Ps. 72:9); and to throw dust at one is a sign of abhorrence (2 Sam. 16:13; comp. Acts 22:23).

In addition to the idiom beginning with
dust