Idiom
Dry run
A dry run is a practice or test that you do before the real event to check that everything works.
How people use it
People do dry runs of presentations, weddings, software launches, fire drills and travel routes: let's do a dry run of the drive to the airport. It is a noun; before another noun it can be hyphenated (a dry-run test). It is neutral and common at work. It overlaps with rehearsal, but dry run especially suggests a full test of the process with the real stakes removed.
Examples
- Priya did a dry run of her speech in front of her roommates.
- The IT team ran a dry run of the system update over the weekend.
- We drove the route as a dry run so we wouldn't get lost on the wedding day.
Where it comes from
It is American and became common around the 1940s. One explanation is a firefighting drill run without water; another is military practice without live ammunition. Both fit the idea of a full rehearsal with the real thing left out, but no single source is proven.
Check yourself
1. What is a dry run?
Answer: A practice test before the real thing. A dry run is a rehearsal to check that everything works.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: The band did a dry run of the show the night before opening.. A dry run is a rehearsal before the real event, not a success or a jog.
Similar idioms
Word game fan? See every word hiding in DRY.