der·ring-do

(dĕr′ĭng-do͞o′)

Daring or reckless action.

[Misinterpretation of earlier derrynge do, daring to do, misprint of Late Middle English dorryng do, from Middle English durring don : durring, present participle of durren, to dare (from Old English durran; see dare) + don, to do; see do¹.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

derring-do

(ˈdɛrɪŋˈduː)

archaic or literary a daring spirit or deed; boldness or bold action

[C16: from Middle English durring don daring to do, from durren to dare + don to do]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

der•ring-do

(ˈdɛr ɪŋˈdu)

n.

daring deeds; heroic daring.

[1325–75; Middle English durring-do literally, daring to do, taken as n. phrase. See dare, do¹]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

derring-do - brave and heroic feats

exploit, feat, effort - a notable achievement; "he performed a great feat"; "the book was her finest effort"

Translations

derring-do

[ˈderɪŋˈduː] N (liter) tales of derring-do → relatos mpl épicos
deeds of derring-do → gestas fpl, hazañas fpl

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

derring-do

n (old) → Verwegenheit f, → Tollkühnheit f; deeds of derring-do → verwegene or tollkühne Taten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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References in periodicals archive

But no feat of derring-do could match the conscientious objector status American papers claimed in the intoonfada, the global uprising over a series of drawings of the prophet Muhammad that originally appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

Cartoons makes cowards of us all: American editors pine: "if we only had the nerve."

Last year's Sahara--Clive Cussler's silly tale of derring-do across the desert sands--reminded me that Hollywood still makes matinee safaris for 12-year-old boys of every age.

Our hearts of darkness: once the setting for Hollywood safari adventures, the war-torn reality of Africa is finally getting a screening