poke

poke about and poke around to look or

search around. I’ve been poking around

in the library looking for some statistics.

I don’t mind if you look in my drawer for

a paper clip, but please don’t poke about.

poke around Go to poke about.

poke fun (at someone) to make fun of

someone; to ridicule someone. Stop

poking fun at me! It’s not nice. Bob is al-

ways poking fun.

poke one’s nose in(to something) and stick

one’s nose in(to something) to interfere

with something; to be nosy about some-

thing. (Also literal.) I wish you’d stop

poking your nose into my business. She

was too upset for me to stick my nose in

and ask what was wrong.

poles apart very different; far from com-

ing to an agreement. (Preceded by be,

grow, or seem.)  Mr. and Mrs. Jones

don’t get along well. They are poles apart.

They’ll never sign the contract because

they are poles apart.

polish something off to finish something off.

There is just a little bit of work left. It

won’t take any time to polish it off. T Bob

polished off the rest of the pie.

poop out to quit; to wear out and stop.

(Slang.) I’m so tired I could poop out

right here. My car sounded as if it were

going to poop out.

pooped out [for a person or animal to be]

exhausted. (Slang.) The horse was

pooped out and could run no more. I

can’t go on. I’m pooped out.

poor as a church mouse Go to (as) poor

as a church mouse.

poor but clean having little money but

clean and of good habits, nonetheless.

(Either extremely condescending or joc-

ular. Some people would consider it of-

fensive.) My salary isn’t very high, and

I only have two color TV sets. Anyway, I’m

poor but clean. When Fred uttered the

phrase poor but clean in reference to some

of the people working in the yard, Ellen

went into a rage.

pop off to make a wisecrack or smart-aleck

remark. (Informal.) If you pop off one

more time, you’ll have to stay after school.

Bob keeps popping off at the worst times.

pop one’s cork 1. to suddenly become men-

tally disturbed; to go crazy. (Slang.) I

was so upset that I nearly popped my cork.

They put him away because he popped

his cork. 2. to become very angry. (Slang.)

My mother popped her cork when she

heard about my grades.  Calm down!

Don’t pop your cork.

pop the question to ask someone to marry

one. (Informal.) I was surprised when

he popped the question. I’ve been wait-

ing for years for someone to pop the

question.

pop up 1. [for a baseball batter] to hit a

baseball that goes upward rather than

outward. The catcher came to bat and

popped up. I hope I don’t pop up this

time. 2. [for a baseball] to fly upward

rather than outward. The ball popped

up and went foul. The ball will always

pop up if you hit it in a certain way. 3. to

arise suddenly; to appear without warn-

ing. New problems keep popping up all

the time. Billy popped up out of nowhere

and scared his mother.

a portent of things to come Go to a har-

binger of things to come.

pose a question to ask a question; to im-

ply the need for asking a question.

Genetic research poses many ethical ques-

My interviewer posed a hypo-

thetical question.

pose as someone to pretend to be someone.

The impostor posed as the president of

the company.  My twin posed as me

while I went on vacation.

possessed by something under the control

of something; obsessed with something.

She acted as if she were possessed by evil

spirits. He was possessed by a powerful

sense of guilt.

postage and handling charges for sending

[something] through the mail and for

wrapping and handling the item. (See

also shipping and handling.) The cost of

the book was quite reasonable, but the

postage and handling was outrageous.

They did not charge postage and handling

because I prepaid the order.

the pot calling the kettle black [an in-

stance of] someone with a fault accusing

someone else of having the same fault.

Ann is always late, but she was rude

enough to tell everyone when I was late.

Now that’s the pot calling the kettle black!

You’re calling me thoughtless? That’s

really a case of the pot calling the kettle

black.

pound a beat to walk a route. (Informal.

Usually said of a police patrol officer.)

Officer Smith pounded the same beat for

years and years. I don’t want to pound

a beat all my life.

pound something out 1. to play something

loudly on the piano. (Also literal. Slang.

Compare this with belt something out.)

Don’t pound the music out! Just play it. T

Listen to her pound out that song. 2. to

type something on a typewriter. (Slang.)

Please pound it out again. There are six

errors. T It’ll take just a few minutes to

pound out this letter.

pound the pavement to walk through the

streets looking for a job. (Informal.) I

spent two months pounding the pavement

after the factory I worked for closed.

Hey, Bob. You’d better get busy pounding

those nails unless you want to be out

pounding the pavement.

pour it on thick Go to lay it on thick.

pour money down the drain to waste

money; to spend money as if one were

throwing it away. (Informal.) What a

waste! You’re just pouring money down the

drain. Don’t buy any more of that low-

quality merchandise. That’s just throwing

money down the drain.

pour oil on troubled water(s) to calm

things down. (If oil is poured onto rough

seas during a storm, the water will be-

come more calm.) That was a good

thing to say to John. It helped pour oil on

troubled water. Now he looks happy.

Bob is the kind of person who pours oil on

troubled waters.

pour one’s heart (out to someone) to tell all

one’s hopes, fears, and feelings to some-

one. She was so upset. She poured her

heart out to Sally. T She sat there talking

for over an hour—pouring out her heart.

pouring rain very heavy rain. The chil-

dren’s clothes were soaked after they played

out in the pouring rain. I waited in the

pouring rain for the next bus.

the power behind the throne the person

who controls the person who is appar-

ently in charge. Mr. Smith appears to

run the shop, but his brother is the power

behind the throne. They say that the vice

president is the power behind the throne.

the powers that be the people who are in

authority. The powers that be have de-

cided to send back the immigrants. I

have applied for a license, and the powers

that be are considering my application.

praise someone or something to the skies to

give someone or something much praise.

He wasn’t very good, but his friends

praised him to the skies. They liked your

pie. Everyone praised it to the skies.

preach to the converted to praise or rec-

ommend something to someone who is

already in favor of it. (Also literal.)

Mary was preaching to the converted when

she tried to persuade Jean to become a fem-

inist. She’s been one for years. Bob found

himself preaching to the converted when

he was telling Jane the advantages of liv-

ing in the country. She hates city life.

precious few and precious little very

few; very little. (Informal. Few with

things that are countable, otherwise, lit-

tle.) We get precious few tourists here

in the winter. There’s precious little food

in the house and there is no money.

precious little Go to precious few.

a prelude to something an act or event that

comes before and signals another act or

event. Her rudeness to her boss was a

prelude to her resignation. The invasion

of Poland was a prelude to World War II.

press one’s luck Go to push one’s luck.

press someone to the wall Go to push some-

one to the wall.

press the panic button Go to push the

panic button.

pressed for time in a hurry. I am sorry.

I can’t talk to you. I’m just too pressed for

time. If you are pressed for time, you

might want to stop for some food some-

where on the highway.

pretty as a picture Go to (as) pretty as a

picture.

Pretty is as pretty does. You should do

pleasant things if you wish to be consid-

ered pleasant. (Proverb.) Now, Sally.

Let’s be nice. Pretty is as pretty does. My

great-aunt always used to say “pretty is as

pretty does” to my sister.

a pretty state of affairs and a fine state

of affairs an unpleasant state of affairs.

(See also fine kettle of fish.) This is a

pretty state of affairs, and it’s all your

fault. What a fine state of affairs you’ve

got us into.

prevail (up)on someone to ask or beg some-

one (for a favor). Can I prevail upon

you to give me some help? Perhaps you

could prevail on my brother for a loan.

prick up one’s ears to listen more closely.

(Alluding to animals that move their ears

about to hear better.) At the sound of

my voice on the telephone, my sister

pricked up her ears. I pricked up my ears

when I heard my name mentioned.

pride and joy something or someone that

one is very proud of. (Often in reference

to a baby, a car, a house, etc.) And this

is our little pride and joy, Roger. Fred

pulled up in his pride and joy and asked

if I wanted a ride.

Pride goes before a fall. Someone who

behaves in an arrogant or vain way is

likely to suffer misfortune. (Proverb.

From the Bible.) Bert was so busy ad-

miring his ref lection in a shop window

that he stepped in a puddle. Pride goes be-

fore a fall. Jean was boasting about how

well she thought she’d done on her final ex-

ams, but she failed them all. You know

what they say. Pride goes before a fall.

pride oneself in something Go to pride oneself

on something.

pride oneself on something and pride oneself

in something to take special pride in some-

thing. Ann prides herself on her apple

pies. John prides himself in his ability to

make people feel at ease.

prime mover the force that sets something

going; someone or something that starts

something off. The manager was the

prime mover in getting the clerk fired.

Discontent with his job was the prime

mover in John’s deciding to go to Alaska.

privy to something uniquely knowledgeable

about something. The reporter became

privy to the senator’s evil plan. Why are

you privy to this secret information?

promise someone the moon Go to promise

the moon (to someone).

prone to something likely to [do] something;

apt to have something. My boss is prone

to fits of anger when my work isn’t done.

My sister is prone to sneezing because

of her allergies.

propose a toast to make a toast before

drinking. I’d like to propose a toast in

honor of your birthday. At the wedding

reception, the bride’s father proposed a

toast.

proud as a peacock Go to (as) proud as

a peacock.

prove to be someone or something to be

shown to be someone or something; to be

found to be someone or something.

Susan proved to be a good friend when she

lent me some money. The food proved

to be spoiled when I smelled it.

provided that something is so on the condi-

tion that something is so. I will come,

provided that I am invited. I will help

you, provided that you pay me.

psyche out to go wild or crazy; to become

irrational. (Slang. Pronounced as if it

were spelled sike.) I don’t know what

happened to me. Suddenly I psyched out

and started yelling. Max nearly psyched

out when he saw the bill.

psyche someone out 1. to figure out some-

one psychologically. (Slang. Pronounced

as if it were spelled sike.) Don’t try to

psyche me out. Just be my friend. T I think

I’ve psyched out my opponent so I can beat

him. 2. to confuse someone; to cause

someone to go crazy. (Slang. Pronounced

as if it were spelled sike.) All that bright

light psyched me out. I couldn’t think

straight. T They psyched out the enemy

soldiers, causing them to jump into the

river.

psyche someone up to cause someone to be

enthusiastic about doing something.

(Slang. Pronounced as if it were spelled

sike.) T The coach psyched up the team

before the game. I need someone to psy-

che me up before I go on stage.

psyched up (for something) excited and en-

thusiastic. (Slang. Pronounced as if it

were spelled siked.) I can play a great

tennis game if I’m psyched up. She is

really psyched up for the game.

publish or perish [for a professor] to pub-

lish many books or articles in scholarly

journals or get released from a univer-

sity or fall into disfavor in a university.

(Also occurs as other parts of speech. See

the examples below.) Alice knew she

would have to publish or perish if she took

the teaching job. This is a major research

university and publish or perish is the or-

der of the day. When Jane heard that

publish or perish was the rule at her uni-

versity, she was afraid that she would not

get any professors who were interested in

her intellectual advancement.

pull a boner to do something stupid or

silly. (Slang.) Boy, I really pulled a

boner! I’m so dumb. If you pull a boner

like that again, you’re fired!

pull a fast one to succeed in an act of de-

ception. (Slang.) She was pulling a fast

one when she said she had a headache and

went home. Don’t try to pull a fast one

with me! I know what you’re doing.

pull a gun (on someone) and pull a knife

(on someone) to bring out a gun or knife

suddenly so that it is ready for use against

someone. I screamed when the mugger

pulled a knife on me. The police shot the

thief when he pulled a gun.

pull a knife (on someone) Go to pull a gun

(on someone).

pull a stunt (on someone) and pull a trick

(on someone) to deceive someone. Let’s

pull a trick on the teacher. Don’t you

dare pull a stunt like that!

pull a trick (on someone) Go to pull a stunt

(on someone).

pull oneself together to become emotion-

ally stabilized; to regain one’s composure.

Now, calm down. Pull yourself together.

I’ll be all right as soon as I can pull my-

self together.

pull one’s (own) weight Go to carry one’s

(own) weight.

pull one’s punches 1. [for a boxer] to strike

with light blows to enable the other boxer

to win. (Slang.) Bill has been barred

from the boxing ring for pulling his

punches. “I never pulled my punches in

my life!” cried Tom. 2. to hold back in

one’s criticism. (Slang. Usually in the

negative. The one’s can be replaced with

any.) I didn’t pull any punches. I told

her just what I thought of her.  The

teacher doesn’t pull any punches when it

comes to discipline.

pull out all the stops to use all one’s en-

ergy and effort in order to achieve some-

thing. (From the stops of a pipe organ.

The more that are pulled out, the louder

it gets.) You’ll have to pull out all the

stops if you’re going to pass the course.

The doctors will pull out all the stops to

save the child’s life.

pull rank (on someone) to assert one’s rank,

authority, or position over someone

when making a request or giving an or-

der. Don’t pull rank on me! I don’t have

to do what you say! When she couldn’t

get her way politely, she pulled rank and

really got some action.

pull someone or something down 1. [with

someone] to degrade someone; to humil-

iate someone. (Also literal.) I’m afraid

that your friends are pulling you down.

Your manners used to be much better.

My bad habits are pulling me down. T

There is no need to pull down everyone.

2. [with something] to earn a certain

amount of money. (Slang.) T She’s able

to pull down $400 a week. T I wish I could

pull down a salary like that. How much

is she pulling down? 3. [with something]

to demolish something; to raze some-

thing. Why do they want to pull it

down? Why not remodel it? T They are go-

ing to pull down the old building today. 4.

[with something] to lower or reduce the

amount of something. That last test

pulled my grade down. T Let’s see if we

can pull down your temperature.

pull someone’s leg to kid, fool, or trick

someone. (Informal.) You don’t mean

that. You’re just pulling my leg. Don’t

believe him. He’s just pulling your leg.

pull someone’s or something’s teeth to reduce

the power of someone or something.

(Also literal in the case of someone. Infor-

mal.) The mayor tried to pull the teeth

of the new law. The city council pulled

the teeth of the new mayor.

pull someone through (something) to help

someone survive something. (Also lit-

eral.) With the help of the doctor, we

pulled her through her illness. With lots

of encouragement, we pulled her through.

pull something off to manage to make some-

thing happen. (Also literal. Slang. See

also carry something off.) Yes, I can pull

it off. T Do you think you can pull off this

deal?

pull something on someone to play a trick

on someone; to deceive someone with a

trick. You wouldn’t pull a trick on me,

would you? Who would pull something

like that on an old lady?

pull something out of a hat and pull some-

thing out of thin air to produce some-

thing as if by magic. (Also literal.) This

is a serious problem, and we just can’t pull

a solution out of a hat. I’m sorry, but I

don’t have a pen. What do you want me

to do, pull one out of thin air?

pull something out of thin air Go to pull

something out of a hat.

pull something together to organize some-

thing; to arrange something. (Compare

this with scrape something together.)

How about a party? I’ll see if I can pull

something together for Friday night.

This place is a mess. Please pull things

together.

pull strings to use influence (with some-

one to get something done). I can get

it done easily by pulling strings. Is it pos-

sible to get anything done around here

without pulling strings?

pull the plug (on someone or something) 1.

to cause someone or something to end;

to reduce the power or effectiveness of

someone or something. (Informal.)

Jane pulled the plug on the whole project.

The mayor was doing a fine job until the

treasurer pulled the plug because there was

no more money. 2. [with someone] to turn

off someone’s life support system in a

hospital. (This results in the death of per-

son whose life support has been termi-

nated.) They had to get a court order

to pull the plug on their father. Fred

signed a living will making it possible to

pull the plug on him without a court order.

pull the rug out (from under someone) to

make someone ineffective. (Also literal.)

The treasurer pulled the rug out from

under the mayor.  Things were going

along fine until the treasurer pulled the rug

pull the wool over someone’s eyes to de-

ceive someone. You can’t pull the wool

over my eyes. I know what’s going on.

Don’t try to pull the wool over her eyes.

She’s too smart.

pull through to get better; to recover from

a serious illness or other problem. She’s

very ill, but I think she’ll pull through.

Oh, I hope she pulls through.

pull up (somewhere) Go to haul up (some-

where).

pull up stakes to move to another place.

(Refers to pulling up tent stakes and mov-

ing to another campsite.) I’ve been here

long enough. It’s time to pull up stakes.

I hate the thought of having to pull up

stakes.