a dusty answer
old-fashioned A curt, rude, or unhelpful answer or response. Primarily heard in UK. I got a dusty answer from the customer service agent when I asked if I could cancel my contract early. If you're hoping to get an extension on the assignment from the professor, you're likely to get a dusty answer. What a jerk! I asked a perfectly reasonable question about the warranty, so there was no need for him to give me a dusty answer.
a dusty reply
old-fashioned A curt, rude, or unhelpful reply or response. Primarily heard in UK. I got a dusty reply from the customer service agent when I asked if I could cancel my contract early. If you're hoping to get an extension on the assignment from the professor, you're likely to get a dusty reply. What a jerk! I asked a perfectly reasonable question about the warranty, so there was no need for him to give me a dusty reply.
rely upon (someone or something)
1. To be dependent on someone or something; to require someone or something for support or help. (Slightly more formal and old-fashioned than the variant "rely on.") There are a lot of cities around the country that rely upon the steel industry—if it collapses, so do their entire economies. You can't just rely upon your parents to bail you out whenever you get into trouble.
2. To have trust or faith in someone or something; to believe that someone will do something or that something will happen. You can always rely upon the weather to turn foul whenever you plan something outdoors. People who rely upon the government to act in their best interests are naïve, foolish, or both. I just can't rely upon this computer to do what it's supposed to do.
reply to (someone or something)
To offer an answer or response to someone or something. We must reply to this brutal dictatorship's actions with an equal display of force. There's no point replying to someone like him—the only thing he's hoping for is to stir up controversy.
without reply
sports Without the other team scoring in response. Primarily heard in UK. Wow, they really turned the tide on their opponents by scoring four goals without reply!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
a dusty answer
or a dusty reply
BRITISH, OLD-FASHIONEDIf you ask for something or suggest something and you get a dusty answer or a dusty reply, you receive an unpleasant and negative answer. He asked three times to speak to the king, but each time received a dusty answer. Ask a world-class sportsman to spend several hours testing your product and you are likely to receive a dusty reply.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012