all duck or no dinner
Of a situation, action, or effort resulting in either total success or total failure; all or nothing. We've got one last chance to secure an investor for the company, so it's all duck or no dinner with this meeting!
make a dog's dinner (of something)
To make a mess of or completely ruin something. I thought I could trust Jim to finish the business proposal, but he made a dog's dinner of the whole thing!
rubber chicken dinner
A dinner served at a large catered event, especially a political or corporate fundraising event, in which many people must be served simultaneously and the quality of food suffers as a result. ("Rubber chicken" is sometimes hyphenated.) I'll tell you, though: more than the long hours on the road, the repetitive speeches, or the manic workload, I cannot stand the rubber chicken dinners when I'm on the campaign trail. We really wanted to throw the whole "rubber-chicken dinner" association out the window for our next charity drive, so we've partnered with a local co-op kitchen to bring fresh, home-cooked meals to the table.
like a dog's dinner
1. Very messy and/or disorganized. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. I really need to clean out my closet—it's starting to look like a dog's breakfast in there.
2. Of a person's attire, very showy in a way that attracts negative attention. Look at that fool, all done up like a dog's dinner. Who told him that patterned suit was a good idea?
be done like a (dog's) dinner
To fail or lose. Primarily heard in Australia. Your team will be done like a dog's dinner if they play against the all-star team. I just finished my paper, but class starts in five minutes, and the printer isn't working, so I'm done like a dinner.
be done like a (dog's) dinner
(Australian informal) to be completely defeated Whatever possessed her to play tennis against Sue? She was done like a dinner.
a dog's breakfast/dinner
(British & Australian informal) something that has been done very badly She tried to cut her hair and made a real dog's breakfast of it. You should have seen the ceiling after he'd finished painting it. It was a complete dog's breakfast.
done up/dressed up like a dog's dinner
(British & Australian) wearing clothes which make you look silly when you have tried to dress for a formal occasion There she was, all dressed up like a dog's dinner, in a ridiculous frilly shirt and a skirt that was far too short.
have [done/seen/had etc.] more something than somebody has had hot dinners
(British & Australian) to have done, seen, had etc. something many times, so that you have had more experience of it than the person you are talking to Young man, I've been to more football matches than you've had hot dinners, so you don't have to explain the rules of the game to me.