dummy run

Related to dummy run: dry run

dummy run

A practice session or test designed to identify and correct possible problems. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Let's do a couple dummy runs of your speech so you feel totally comfortable with it for tomorrow's ceremony. The theater group did a dummy run of the play to iron out any technical problems before opening night.
See also: dummy, run
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a dummy run

BRITISH
A dummy run is an occasion before an important event when you practise doing something, in order to make sure that it will be successful when you do it properly. Before we started, we did a dummy run, checking out all the streets and offices we would use, and planning our escape route. If it is not possible to do a dummy run in the hire car, calculate how long the journey to the church will take on the day.
See also: dummy, run
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
See also:
  • a dummy run
  • a dry run
  • all correct
  • according to Cocker
  • chuck a dummy
  • right side up
  • right-side up
  • trial and error
  • pud
  • beat the dummy
References in periodicals archive
Scotland Yard released new CCTV images of the bombers on their dummy run which showed them travelling from Luton to King's Cross.
That came about when the management reacted to a massive short-term drop in Levy Board contributions by putting on a dummy run of Regional Racing's
During a dummy run yesterday for Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's funeral, they needed an understudy to play the corpse.
Traitor escaped with a clever dummy run ERINGER never did get the CIA double agent he was sent to Moscow to bring back to America.
WIGAN forward Taulima Tautai is confident he will not freeze in the biggest game of his career after going through a dummy run 12 months ago.
The Dummy Run course, led by Will Mapplebeck, will take place on the Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside.
Steve Morrison's dummy run allowed Macauley to work the ball on to his left foot and drive home from just outside the box.
Tiago found Nani on the left and with Liedson's dummy run fooling the defence, the Porto midfielder got on the end of the Manchester United winger's cross to fire home emphatically.
DUMMY RUN: Slaters Menswear is set to move from its St Mary Street location in Cardiff to a 12,000 sq ft store at St David's shopping centre
RAID: Robbers in ESCAPE: Duo calmly walk off to strike another day DUMMY RUN: Raiders take a good look in window
Children from reception age to Year 11 took part in the dummy run, which will now have to be re-created under official conditions to be entered in the record books.
Bradford also face a dummy run when they take on the Catalans Dragons in Perpignan on Saturday, March 21.
Head boy Nasa Ahmed, who helped organise the event, said: "We took part in a communication skills workshop which gave us the opportunity to stage a dummy run of the real thing.
During the heist Mr Ward said he was ordered to stuff pounds 1.2 million worth of notes into a sports bag and carry it from the bank in a dummy run.
How long would it be before that segregated class was called the "dummy run" and it's pupils ridiculed?