dust down

English

Verb

dust down (third-person singular simple present dusts down, present participle dusting down, simple past and past participle dusted down)

1. alternative form of dust off
   • 2019 October, Rail Freight Group, “Consequences of a no deal Brexit”, in Modern Railways, page 20:

     These preparations are being dusted down and refreshed and will continue to stand their owners in good stead in November.

2. (slang) To demean or verbally assault; to dress down.
3. (slang) To clean (someone) off who has fallen.

   He was on the ground, so I helped him up, dusted him down and brought him home.

References

• “dust down”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “dust”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.