punch

punch a hole in something to make a hole in

something with something. John

punched a hole in the wall with his fist.

Mary punched a hole in the paper with her

pencil.

pure and simple and plain and simple

absolutely; without further complication

or elaboration. (Informal.) I told you

what you must do, and you must do it,

pure and simple. Will you kindly explain

to me what it is, pure and simple, that I am

expected to do? Just tell me plain and

simple, do you intend to go or don’t you?

I explained it to her plain and simple,

but she still didn’t understand.

pure as the driven snow Go to (as) pure

as the driven snow.

push off to go away. (Informal.) We told

the children to push off. Push off! We

don’t want you here.

push one’s luck and press one’s luck to ex-

pect continued good fortune; to expect

to continue to escape bad luck. You’re

okay so far, but don’t push your luck.

Bob pressed his luck too much and got into

a lot of trouble.

pushing up daisies dead and buried.

(Folksy.) If you don’t drive safely, you’ll

be pushing up daisies. We’ll all be push-

ing up daisies in the long run.

put a bee in someone’s bonnet to give

someone an idea (about something). (See

also get a bee in one’s bonnet.) Some-

body put a bee in my bonnet that we

should go to a movie. Who put a bee in

your bonnet?

put a cap on something to put a limit on

something (Also literal.) We need to put

a cap on spending on every department.

The city put a cap on the amount each

landlord could charge.

put a hold on something place a restriction

on something to show that it is reserved,

delayed, or inactivated. The bank put

a hold on my credit card until I paid my

bill. The committee agreed to put a hold

on the troublesome piece of business.

put all one’s eggs in one basket to risk

everything at once. (Also literal. Often

negative.) Don’t put all your eggs in one

basket. Then everything won’t be lost if

there is a catastrophe. John only applied

to the one college he wanted to go to. He

put all his eggs in one basket.

put an end to something Go to put a stop

to something.

put a spin on something to interpret an

event to make it seem favorable or ben-

eficial to oneself. The mayor tried to

put a positive spin on the damaging polls.

The pundit’s spin on the new legislation

was highly critical.

put in a good word (for someone) to say

something (to someone) in support of

someone. I hope you get the job. I’ll put

in a good word for you. Yes, I want the

job. If you see the boss, please put in a good

word.

put in an appearance to appear (some-

where) for just a little while. (Compare

this with make an appearance.)

couldn’t stay for the whole party, so I just

put in an appearance and left. Even if

you can’t stay for the whole thing, at least

put in an appearance.

put off by someone or something distressed or

repelled by someone or something. I

was really put off by your behavior. We

were all put off by the unfairness of the

rules.

put on to pretend; to act as if something

were true. Ann wasn’t really angry. She

was just putting on. I can’t believe she

was just putting on. She really looked mad.

put on a brave face to try to appear happy

or satisfied when faced with misfortune

or danger. We’ve lost all our money, but

we must put on a brave face for the sake

of the children. Jim has lost his job and

is worried, but he’s putting on a brave face.

put on a (brave) front Go to put up a

(brave) front.

put on airs to act superior. Stop putting

on airs. You’re just human like the rest of

us. Ann is always putting on airs. You’d

think she was a queen.

put on an act to pretend that one is some-

thing other than what one is. (See also

put on.) Be yourself, Ann. Stop putting

on an act. You don’t have to put on an

act. We accept you the way you are.

put one in one’s place to rebuke someone;

to remind one of one’s (lower) rank or

station. The boss put me in my place for

criticizing her. Then her boss put her in

her place for being rude.

put one’s back (in)to something 1. to apply

great physical effort to lift or move some-

thing. All right, you guys. Put your

backs into moving this piano. You can

lift it if you put your back to it. 2. to ap-

ply a lot of mental or creative effort to

doing something. If we put our backs

to it, we can bake twelve dozen cookies to-

day. The artist put his back into finish-

ing the picture on time.

put one’s best foot forward to act or ap-

pear at one’s best; to try to make a good

impression. When you apply for a job,

you should always put your best foot for-

ward. I try to put my best foot forward

whenever I meet someone for the first time.

put one’s cards on the table and lay one’s

cards on the table to reveal everything;

to be open and honest with someone.

(Also literal. Informal.) Come on, John,

lay your cards on the table. Tell me what

you really think. Why don’t we both put

our cards on the table?

put (one’s) dibs on something to lay a claim

to something; to state one’s claim to

something. (Informal. See also have dibs

on something.) I put dibs on the last piece

of cake. Mary put her dibs on the book

you are reading. She gets it next.

put oneself in someone else’s place and put

oneself in someone else’s shoes to allow

oneself to see or experience something

from someone else’s point of view. (See

also in someone else’s place; in someone else’s

shoes.) Put yourself in someone else’s

place, and see how it feels. I put myself

in Tom’s shoes and realized that I would

have made exactly the same choice.

put oneself in someone else’s shoes Go to put

oneself in someone else’s place.

put one’s finger on something to identify

something as very important. (Also lit-

eral. Informal.) Ann put her finger on

the cause of the problem. Yes, she really

put her finger on it.

put one’s foot down (about something) to

become adamant about something. (In-

formal.) Ann put her foot down about

what kind of car she wanted. She does-

n’t put her foot down very often, but when

she does, she really means it.

put one’s foot in it Go to put one’s foot in

one’s mouth.

put one’s foot in one’s mouth and put one’s

foot in it; stick one’s foot in one’s mouth

to say something that you regret; to say

something stupid, insulting, or hurtful.

When I told Ann that her hair was more

beautiful than I had ever seen it, I really

put my foot in my mouth. It was a wig.

I put my foot in it by telling John’s secret.

put one’s hand(s) on something to locate and

acquire something. (Compare this with

get one’s hands on someone or something.)

I wish I could put my hands on a 1954

Chevrolet. If I could put my hands on

that book, I could find the information I

need.

put one’s hand to the plow to begin to do

a big and important task; to undertake a

major effort. (Also literal.) If John

would only put his hand to the plow, he

could do an excellent job. You’ll never

accomplish anything if you don’t put your

hand to the plow.

put one’s head on the block (for someone

or something) to take great risks for some-

one or something; to go to a lot of trou-

ble or difficulty for someone or some-

thing; to attempt to gain favor for some-

one or something. (Also literal.) I don’t

know why I should put my head on the

block for Joan. What has she ever done for

me? Sally tried to get me to put in a good

word about her with the boss. You know,

tell the boss what a great worker she is and

how smart she is. The last time I put my

head on the block for anyone, it all back-

fired, and when the person goofed up, I

looked like an idiot!

put one’s house in order to put one’s busi-

ness or personal affairs into good order.

(Also literal.) There was some trouble

at work and the manager was told to put

his house in order. Every now and then,

I have to put my house in order. Then life

becomes more manageable.

put one’s mind to something to give one’s

complete attention to something. I

could finish this job tonight if I put my

mind to it. Please put your mind to it

and concentrate on getting it finished.

put one’s nose to the grindstone to keep

busy doing one’s work. (Also with have

and get, as in the examples. See also keep

one’s nose to the grindstone.) The boss

told me to put my nose to the grindstone.

I’ve had my nose to the grindstone ever

since I started working here. If the other

people in this office would get their noses

to the grindstone, more work would get

done.

put one’s oar in to give help; to interfere by

giving advice; to put one’s two cents’

worth in. (Refers to adding one’s efforts

to rowing a boat.) You don’t need to put

your oar in. I don’t need your advice. T

I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put in my oar.

put one’s shoulder to the wheel to get

busy; You won’t accomplish anything

unless you put your shoulder to the wheel.

I put my shoulder to the wheel and fin-

ished the job quickly.

put one’s thinking cap on to start thinking

in a serious manner. (Usually used with

children.) It’s time to put our thinking

caps on, children. T All right now, let’s put

on our thinking caps and do some

arithmetic.

put one’s two cents(‘ worth) in to add

one’s comments (to something). (Infor-

mal.) T Can I put in my two cents’ worth?

Sure, go ahead—put your two cents in.

put one through one’s paces to make one

demonstrate what one can do; to make

one do one’s job thoroughly. (See also put

something through its paces.) The boss

really put me through my paces today. I’m

tired. I tried out for a part in the play,

and the director really put me through my

paces.

put on the dog to dress or entertain in an

extravagant or showy manner. (Infor-

mal.) The Smiths really put on the dog

at their party last Saturday. They’re al-

ways putting on the dog.

put on the feed bag to eat a meal. (Lit-

eral with horses. Folksy and slang.) It’s

noon—time to put on the feed bag. I

didn’t put on the feed bag until about eight

o’clock last night.

put out (about someone or something) irri-

tated; bothered. John behaved rudely at

the party, and the hostess was quite put

out.  Liz was quite put out about the

question.

put out (some) feelers to attempt to find

out something without being too obvi-

ous. (Refers to what an insect does to

sense what is happening around it.) I

wanted to get a new job, so I put out some

feelers.   The manager was mean to

everyone in the office, so everyone put out

feelers in an attempt to find new jobs.

put someone away 1. to kill someone. (Also

literal. Slang.) The gangster threatened

to put me away if I told the police. T

They’ve put away witnesses in the past. 2.

to bury someone. My uncle died last

week. They put him away on Saturday. 3.

to have someone put into a mental insti-

tution. My uncle became irrational, and

they put him away. T They put away my

aunt the year before.

put someone down as something bad to judge

that someone is bad or undesirable in

some way. (See also put someone or some-

thing down.) He was so rude that I put

him down as someone to be avoided. If

you act silly all the time, people will put

you down as a fool.

put someone down (for something) to put

someone’s name on a list of people who

volunteer to do something or give an

amount of money. Can I put you down

for ten dollars? We’re having a picnic,

and you’re invited. Everyone is bringing

something. Can I put you down for potato

salad?

put someone in the picture to give someone

all the necessary facts about something.

(Literal for a painter or digital graphics

artist.) They put the police in the pic-

ture about how the accident happened.

Would someone put me in the picture

about what went on in my absence?

put someone off 1. to avoid responding to

someone; to delay a response to someone.

I keep asking her, but she just keeps

putting me off. Don’t put me off again.

Answer me now! 2. to repel someone; to

make someone feel uneasy. Your bad

attitude puts people off.

put someone on to tease or deceive someone.

(Slang.) Oh, you’re not serious. You’re

putting me on. Stop putting me on!

put someone on a pedestal to respect, ad-

mire, or worship a person. He has put

her on a pedestal and thinks she can do no

wrong. Don’t put me on a pedestal. I’m

only human.

put someone on the spot to ask someone

embarrassing questions; to demand that

someone produce as expected. Don’t

put me on the spot. I can’t give you an an-

swer. The boss put Bob on the spot and

demanded that he do everything he had

promised.

put someone or something across and get

someone or something across 1. [with some-

one] to present someone in a good way or

a good light. I don’t want Tom to make

the speech. He doesn’t put himself across

well. I get myself across in situations like

this. I’ll do it. 2. to make a clear expla-

nation of something; to explain oneself

clearly. The teacher got the idea across

with the help of pictures. I’m taking a

course in public speaking to help put my-

self across better. 3. [with something] to

convince someone of something; to get

a plan accepted. After many weeks of

trying, we were unable to put our plan

across. They refused to accept it. We just

couldn’t get it across.

put someone or something at someone’s dis-

posal to make someone or something

available to someone; to offer someone or

something to someone. I’d be glad to

help you if you need me. I put myself at

your disposal. I put my car at my neigh-

bor’s disposal.

put someone or something down 1. to belittle

or degrade someone or something.

(Slang.) It’s an old car, but that’s no rea-

son to put it down. Please stop putting

me down all the time. It hurts my feelings.

T You put down everything you don’t un-

derstand! 2. [with something] to repress

or (figuratively) crush something. T The

army was called to put down the rebellion.

The police used tear gas to put the riot

down. 3. [with something] to write some-

thing down. I’ll give you the address.

Please put it down. T I’ll put down the ad-

dress in my address book. 4. [with some-

thing] to land an aircraft. The pilot put

the plane down exactly on time. T I can’t

put down this plane in the rain. 5. [with

something] to take the life of an animal,

such as a pet that is suffering. (This is

usually done by a veterinarian.) We

had to put our dog down. She was suffer-

ing so. It’s very difficult to put down

one’s pet.

put someone or something off 1. [with some-

one] to divert or avoid someone. I don’t

wish to see Mr. Brown now. Please put him

off. I won’t talk to reporters. Tell them

something that will put them off. T Put off

those annoying people. 2. [with someone]

to upset or distress someone. She al-

ways puts me off. She’s so rude. T I try

not to put off people. 3. [with something]

to delay something; to postpone some-

thing. T I had to put off my appointment

with the doctor.  It’s raining, so we’ll

have to put the picnic off.

put someone or something on hold 1. [with

someone] to stop all activity or commu-

nication with someone. (See also on

hold. John put Ann on hold and started

dating Mary. “You can’t just put me on

hold!” cried Ann. 2. [with someone] to

leave someone waiting on a telephone

call. (See also on hold.) Please don’t put

me on hold. I’ll call back later when you

aren’t so busy. I’ll have to put you on

hold while I look up the information. 3.

[with something] to postpone something;

to stop the progress of something. (See

also on hold.) They put the project on

hold until they got enough money to fin-

ish it. Sorry, but we must put your plan

on hold.

put someone or something out 1. [with some-

thing] to extinguish something. T Put out

the fire before you go to bed. My grand-

father told me to put out the light and go

to bed. 2. [with someone] to distress or

inconvenience someone. I’d like to have

a ride home, but not if it puts you out. T

Don’t worry. It won’t put out anybody. 3.

[with something] to publish something.

They are putting the book out next

month. T When did you put out the arti-

cle? 4. [with someone] to make someone

“out” in baseball. The pitcher put the

runner out. T I thought the catcher put out

the runner.

put someone or something out of one’s mind to

forget someone or something; to make an

effort to stop thinking about someone or

something. (Almost the same as get some-

one or something out of one’s mind.) Try to

put it out of your mind. I can’t seem to

put him out of my mind.

put someone or something out to pasture to

retire someone or something. (Refers to

a horse that is too old to work.) Please

don’t put me out to pasture. I have lots of

good years left. This car has reached the

end of the line. It’s time to put it out to

pasture.