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.
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