put

put someone or something to sleep 1. to kill

someone or something. (Euphemistic.)

We had to put our dog to sleep. The rob-

ber said he’d put us to sleep forever if we

didn’t cooperate. 2. to cause someone or

something to sleep, perhaps through

drugs or anesthesia. The doctor put the

patient to sleep before the operation. I

put the cat to sleep by stroking its tummy.

3. [with someone] to bore someone.

That dull lecture put me to sleep. Her

long story almost put me to sleep.

put someone or something to the test to see

what someone or something can achieve.

I think I can jump that far, but no one

has ever put me to the test. I’m going to

put my car to the test right now, and see

how fast it will go.

put someone or something up 1. [with some-

one] to provide lodging for someone.

I hope I can find someone to put me up.

T They were able to put up John for the

night. 2. [with something] to preserve

and store food by canning or freezing.

This year we’ll put some strawberries up.

T We put up a lot of food every year. 3.

[with something] to offer something,

such as an idea. We need a better idea.

Who’ll put one up? T Let me put up a dif-

ferent idea. 4. [with someone] to run

someone as a candidate. I think you

should put someone else up. T We’re

putting up Ann for treasurer. 5. [with

something] to build a building, a sign, a

fence, a wall, etc. We’ll put a garage up

next month. T The city put up a fence next

to our house. 6. [with something] to pro-

vide the money for something. The

government put the money up for the cost

of construction. T Who will put up the

money for my education? 7. [with some-

thing] to shape and arrange one’s hair

(with curlers, hairpins, etc.). I can’t go

out because I just put my hair up. T I put

up my hair every night. 8. [with some-

thing] to make a struggle, a fight, etc.

(Usually put up something, and not put

something up.) T Did he put up a fight?

T No, he only put up a bit of a struggle.

put someone’s eye out to puncture or harm

someone’s eye causing blindness. Care-

ful with that stick or you’ll put your eye

out. He fell and almost put his eye out!

put someone’s nose out of joint to offend

someone; to cause someone to feel

slighted or insulted. (Informal.) I’m

afraid I put his nose out of joint by not

inviting him to the picnic. There is no

reason to put your nose out of joint. I

meant no harm.

put someone through the wringer to give

someone a difficult time. (Informal.)

They are really putting me through the

wringer at school.  The boss put Bob

through the wringer over this contract.

put someone to bed with a shovel to kill

someone; to kill and bury someone.

(Slang.) That guy’d better be careful, or

somebody’s going to put him to bed with

a shovel. “Watch out, wise guy,” said the

robber, “or I’ll put you to bed with a

shovel.”

put someone to shame to show someone up;

to embarrass someone; to make someone

ashamed. Your excellent efforts put us

all to shame.  I put him to shame by

telling everyone about his bad behavior.

put someone up to something to cause some-

one to do something; to bribe someone

to do something; to give someone the

idea of doing something. Who put you

up to it?  Nobody put me up to it. I

thought it up myself.

put someone wise to someone or something to

inform someone about someone or

something. (Informal.) I put her wise

to the way we do things around here. I

didn’t know she was taking money. Mary

put me wise to her.

put something down in black and white to

write down the terms of an agreement;

to draw up a written contract; to put the

details of something down on paper.

(Refers to black ink and white paper.)

We agree on all the major points. Now, let’s

put it down in black and white. I think

I understand what you are talking about,

but we need to put it down in black and

white.

put something down to something and set

something down to something to explain

something as being caused by something

else. I put his bad humor down to his

illness. We set your failure down to your

emotional upset.

put something forward to state an idea; to

advance an idea. (Also literal.) Toward

the end of the meeting, Sally put an idea

forward. Now, I’d like to put something

forward. T He put several suggestions

forward.

put something in 1. to submit something.

(Also literal.) In fact, I put the order in

some time ago. T I put in a request for a

new typewriter. 2. to spend an amount

of time (doing something). You put

how much time in? T I put in four months

on that project.

put something in mothballs to put some-

thing in storage. (Also literal in reference

to clothing. Often said of battleships.)

The navy put the old cruiser in mothballs

and no one ever expected to see it again.

Let’s just put this small bicycle in mothballs

until we hear of a child who can use it.

put something into practice to start using a

scheme or plan. I hope we can put your

idea into practice soon.  The mayor

hopes to put the new plan into practice af-

ter the next election.

put something into print to have something

printed and published. It’s true, but I

never believed you’d put it into print.

This is a very interesting story. I can’t wait

to put it into print.

put something off to postpone something; to

schedule something for a later time. I

have to put off our meeting until a later

time. I put off a visit to the dentist as

long as I could.

put something on to place clothing onto one’s

body; to get into a piece of clothing. I

put on a heavy coat to go outside in the

cold. Please put this on and see if it fits.

put something on ice and put something on

the back burner to delay or postpone

something; to put something on hold.

(Also literal.) I’m afraid that we’ll have

to put your project on ice for a while.

Just put your idea on ice and keep it there

till we get some money.

put something on paper to write something

down; to type or otherwise record some-

thing important. You have a great idea

for a novel. Now put it on paper. I’m

sorry, I can’t discuss your offer until I see

something in writing. Put it on paper, and

then we’ll talk.

put something on the back burner Go to

put something on ice.

put something on the cuff to buy something

on credit; to add to one’s credit balance.

I’ll take two of those, and please put

them on the cuff. I’m sorry, Tom. We

can’t put anything more on the cuff.

put something on the line and lay something

on the line to speak very firmly and di-

rectly about something. She was very

mad. She put it on the line, and we had

no doubt about what she meant.  All

right, you kids. I’m going to lay it on the

line. Don’t ever do that again if you know

what’s good for you.

put something over to accomplish some-

thing; to put something across. This is

a very hard thing to explain to a large au-

dience. I hope I can put it over. This is

a big request for money. I go before the

board of directors this afternoon, and I

hope I can put it over.

put something plainly to state something

firmly and explicitly. To put it plainly,

I want you out of this house immediately.

Thank you. I think you’ve put your feel-

ings quite plainly.

put something right Go to set something right.

put something straight and set something

straight to clarify something; to

straighten something out. He has made

such a mess of this report. It’ll take hours

to put it straight. I’m sorry I confused

you. Let me set it straight.

put something through its paces to demon-

strate how well something operates; to

demonstrate all the things something can

do. (Compare this with put one through

one’s paces.) I was down by the barn,

watching Sally put her horse through its

paces. This is an excellent can opener.

Watch me put it through its paces.

put something together to consider some

facts and arrive at a conclusion. (Also lit-

eral.) I couldn’t put everything together

to figure out the answer in time. T When

I put together all the facts, I found the

answer.

put something to (good) use to use some-

thing. This is a very nice present. I’m

sure I’ll put it to good use. I hope you

can put these old clothes to use.

put something to rest and lay something to

rest to put an end to a rumor; to finish

dealing with something and forget about

it. (Also literal.) I’ve heard enough

about Ann and her illness. I’d like to put

the whole matter to rest. I’ll be happy

to lay it to rest, but will Jane?

Put that in your pipe and smoke it! See

how you like that!; It is final, and you

have to live with it! Well, I’m not go-

ing to do it, so put that in your pipe and

smoke it! I’m sick of you, and I’m leav-

ing. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

put the bite on someone and put the

touch on someone to try to get money

from someone. (Slang.) Tom put the

bite on me for ten dollars. Bill put the

touch on me, but I told him to drop dead.

put the blame on someone or something and

lay the blame on someone or something;

place the blame on someone or something

to blame someone or something. Don’t

put the blame on me. I didn’t do it. We’ll

have to place the blame for the damage on

the storm.

put the cart before the horse to have

things in the wrong order; to have things

confused and mixed up. (Also with

have.) You’re eating your dessert! You’ve

put the cart before the horse. Slow down

and get organized. Don’t put the cart be-

fore the horse! John has the cart before

the horse in most of his projects.

put the clamps on (someone) to restrain or

restrict someone. (Slang.) Tom’s par-

ents put the clamps on him. They decided

he was getting out of hand. T They got

mad and put on the clamps.

put the finger on someone and lay the fin-

ger on someone to accuse someone; to

identify someone as the one who did

something. (Slang. See also point the fin-

ger at someone.) Tom put the finger on

John, and John is really mad. He’d bet-

ter not lay the finger on me. I didn’t do it.

put the heat on (someone) and put the

screws on (someone); put the squeeze

on (someone) to put pressure on someone

(to do something); to coerce someone.

(Slang.) John wouldn’t talk, so the po-

lice were putting the heat on him to con-

fess. When they put the screws on, they

can be very unpleasant. The police know

how to put the squeeze on.

put the kibosh on something to put an end

to something; to veto something. (Slang.)

The mayor put the kibosh on the pro-

ject. It’s a great idea, and I’m sorry that

I had to put the kibosh on it.

put the screws on (someone) Go to put the

heat on (someone).

put the skids on (something) to cause some-

thing to fail. (Slang.) They put the skids

on the project when they refused to give

us any more money. That’s the end of

our great idea! Somebody put the skids on.

put the squeeze on (someone) Go to put

the heat on (someone).

put the touch on someone Go to put the

bite on someone.

put to it in trouble or difficulty; hard up

(for something such as money). (Slang.)

I’m in big trouble. I’m really put to it.

John was put to it to get there on time.

put two and two together to figure

something out from the information

available. (Also literal.) Well, I put two

and two together and came up with an

idea of who did it. Don’t worry. John

won’t figure it out. He can’t put two and

two together.

put up a (brave) front and put on a

(brave) front to appear to be brave (even

if one is not). Mary is frightened, but

she’s putting up a brave front. If she

weren’t putting on a front, I’d be more

frightened than I am.

put upon by someone to be made use of to

an unreasonable degree. (Typically pas-

sive.) My mother was always put upon

by her neighbors. She was too nice to refuse

their requests for help.  Jane feels put

upon by her husband’s parents. They’re

always coming to stay with her.

Put up or shut up! 1. <a command to

prove something or stop talking about it;

to do something or stop promising to do

it.> (Slang.) I’m tired of your telling

everyone how fast you can run. Now, do it!

Put up or shut up! Now’s your chance

to show us that you can run as fast as you

can talk. Put up or shut up! 2. <a com-

mand to bet money in support of what

one advocates.> (See also Put your money

where your mouth is!) If you think that

your horse is faster than mine, then make

a bet. Put up or shut up! You think you

can beat me at cards? Twenty bucks says

you’re wrong. Put up or shut up!

put weight on to gain weight; to grow fat.

I have to go on a diet because I’ve been

putting on a little weight lately. T The

doctor says I need to put on some weight.

put words into someone’s mouth to speak

for another person without permission.

Stop putting words into my mouth. I can

speak for myself. The lawyer was scolded

for putting words into the witness’s mouth.

putty in someone’s hands easily influenced

by someone else; excessively willing to do

what someone else wishes. Bob’s wife is

putty in his hands. She never thinks for

herself.  Jane’s putty in her mother’s

hands. She always does exactly what she

is told.

puzzle something out to figure something

out; to try to figure something out. I

looked and looked at it, but I couldn’t puz-

zle it out. T See if you can puzzle out this

confusing mess.

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.

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.

picture

the picture of something the perfect exam-

ple of something; an exact image of

something. The young newlyweds were

the picture of happiness. Our family is

just the picture of love and joy. The doc-

tor says I am the picture of health.

pie in the sky a future reward after death,

considered as a replacement for a reward

not received on earth. You expect to get

rich from this scheme, but that’s just pie

in the sky. His promises are just pie in

the sky! He is a liar if I ever saw one.

piece of cake very easy. (Slang.) No, it

won’t be any trouble. It’s a piece of cake.

It’s easy! Look here—piece of cake.

a piece of the action a share in a scheme

or project; a degree of involvement.

(Slang.) If you guys are going to bet on

the football game, I want a piece of the ac-

tion, too. My brother wants in on it.

Give him a piece of the action.

a piercing scream a very loud and shrill

scream. Suddenly, there was a piercing

scream from the next room. Bob heard

Susan’s piercing scream and ran to help

her.

pile out (of something) to get out of some-

thing roughly. Okay, kids, pile out!

The car door burst open, and the children

piled out.

pile something up to crash or wreck some-

thing. (Also literal meaning “to heap

something up.”) Drive carefully if you

don’t want to pile the car up. T The dri-

ver piled up the car against a tree.

pile up to crash or wreck. (Also literal.)

The car piled up against the tree.

bus piled up on the curve.

a pillar of strength and a pillar of sup-

port; a tower of strength someone or

something that consistently provides

moral, emotional, or financial support as

does a pillar. My parents are my pil-

lars of support. The minister looked to

God as her pillar of strength. Jack was

a tower of strength during the time that his

father was unemployed.

a pillar of support Go to a pillar of

strength.

pin one’s faith on someone or something and

pin one’s hope(s) on someone or something

to put one’s hope, trust, or faith in some-

one or something. I’m pinning my faith

on your efforts. Don’t pin your hopes on

Tom. He’s not dependable.

pin one’s hope(s) on someone or something Go

to pin one’s faith on someone or something.

pin someone down to force someone to

make a decision or choice. (See also on

pins and needles.) The doctor tried to

pin Jane Smith down for her next ap-

pointment. I won’t make up my mind

for a week so don’t try to pin me down

now.

pin someone down (on something) to force

someone to explain or clarify something.

(Also literal. Informal.) Try to pin her

down on the time. T Pin down Jane on ex-

actly what she means. Please find out

exactly how much it costs. Pin them down

on the price.

pin someone’s ears back to scold someone

severely; to beat someone. (Slang.)

Tom pinned my ears back because I in-

sulted him. I got very mad at John and

wanted to pin his ears back, but I didn’t.

pin something on someone to place the blame

for something on someone. (Also literal.

Slang.) I didn’t take the money. Don’t

try to pin it on me. I wasn’t even there.

The police managed to pin the crime on

Bob.

pinch-hit (for someone) to substitute for

someone. (Originally from baseball,

where it refers to a substitute batter.)

Will you pinch-hit for me at band practice?

Sorry, I can’t pinch-hit. I don’t have the

time.

pins and needles a tingling feeling in

some part of one’s body, especially the

arms and legs. (See also on pins and needles

I’ve got pins and needles in my

legs. Mary gets pins and needles if she

crosses her arms for long.

a pipe dream a wish or an idea that is im-

possible to achieve or carry out. (From

the dreams or visions induced by the

smoking of an opium pipe.) Going to

the West Indies is a pipe dream. We’ll never

have enough money. Your hopes of win-

ning a lot of money are just a silly pipe

dream.

pipe up with something to speak up and say

something, especially with a high-

pitched voice. Billy piped up with a silly

remark. Did I hear somebody pipe up

with an insult?

piping hot [of food] extremely hot. On

a cold day, I like to eat piping hot soup.

Be careful! This coffee is piping hot!

pique someone’s curiosity and pique some-

one’s interest to arouse interest; to arouse

curiosity. The advertisement piqued my

curiosity about the product. The pro-

fessor tried to pique the students’ interest

in French literature.

pique someone’s interest Go to pique some-

one’s curiosity.

pit someone or something against someone or

something to set someone or something in

opposition to someone or something.

The rules of the tournament pit their team

against ours. John pitted Mary against

Sally in the tennis match. In an inter-

esting plowing match, Bill pitted himself

against a small tractor.

pitch a tent to erect a tent at a campsite.

The campers pitched their tent in a

clearing in the woods. I pitched my tent

next to a large oak tree.

pitch-black very black; as black as pitch.

The hearse was pitch-black. The ban-

dit rode on a pitch-black horse and wore

black clothing.

pitch camp to set up or arrange a camp-

site. We pitched camp near the stream.

Two campers went ahead of us to pitch

camp while it was still light.

pitch in (and help) to get busy and help

(with something). Pick up a paintbrush

and pitch in and help. Why don’t some

of you pitch in? We need all the help we can get

pitch someone a curve (ball) to surprise

someone with an unexpected act or

event. (Alluding to pitching a curve ball

in baseball. It is the route of the ball that

is curved, not the ball itself.) You really

pitched me a curve ball when you said I

had done a poor job. I did my best. You

asked Tom a hard question. You certainly

pitched him a curve.

the pits the worst possible. (Slang.) John

is such a boring person. He’s the pits.

This restaurant isn’t the best, but it’s not

the pits either.

place an order to submit an order. My

secretary placed an order for a new com-

puter. I placed my order only yesterday.

[place of business] Go to someone’s place

of business.

place someone to recall someone’s name; to

recall the details about a person that

would help you identify the person. I

am sorry, I can’t seem to place you. Could

you tell me your name again? I can’t

place her. Did I meet her once before?

place the blame on someone or something Go

to put the blame on someone or something.

a place to call one’s own Go to somewhere

to hang (up) one’s hat.

a place to hang one’s hat Go to somewhere

to hang (up) one’s hat.

plain and simple Go to pure and simple.

plain as a pikestaff Go to (as) plain as a

pikestaff.

plain as day Go to (as) plain as day.

plain as the nose on one’s face Go to (as)

plain as the nose on one’s face.

play about (with someone or something) Go

to play around (with someone or something).

play a joke on someone to make a joke that

tricks someone. The children played a

joke on their teacher. I don’t like it when

you play jokes on me.

play along with someone or something to

agree to cooperate or conspire with

someone or someone’s plan; to pretend to

agree to cooperate or conspire with

someone or someone’s plan. I refused

to play along with the treasurer when she

outlined her plan. It might be wise to

play along with the kidnappers, at least for

a little while. I’ll play along with your

scheme until the others get here, but I don’t

like it.

play around (with someone or something)

and play about (with someone or some-

thing) to engage in some amusing activ-

ity with someone or something; to tease

someone or something. Please don’t

play around with that vase. You’ll break

it. Don’t play about with the parrot. It’ll

bite you. Bill and I were just playing

around when we heard the sound of break-

ing glass.

play a trick on someone to do a trick that

affects someone. Somebody played a

trick on me by hiding my shoes. The lit-

tle boys planned to play a trick on their

teacher by turning up the heat in the

classroom.

play ball (with someone) to cooperate with

someone. (Literal when referring to play-

ing a ball game. Informal.) Look,

friend, if you play ball with me, everything

will work out all right. Things would go

better for you if you’d learn to play ball.

play both ends (against the middle) [for

one] to scheme in a way that pits two

sides against each other (for one’s own

gain). (Informal.) I told my brother

that Mary doesn’t like him. Then I told

Mary that my brother doesn’t like her.

They broke up, so now I can have the car

this weekend. I succeeded in playing both

ends against the middle. If you try to

play both ends, you’re likely to get in trou-

ble with both sides.

play by ear Go to play something by ear.

a play-by-play description a description

of an event given as the event is taking

place. (Usually in reference to a sporting

event.) And now here is Bill Jones with

a play-by-play description of the baseball

game. John was giving me a play-by-

play description of the argument going on

next door.

play cat and mouse (with someone) to al-

ternate between kinds of behavior when

dealing with someone, often in matters

of pursuit. The police played cat and

mouse with the suspect until they had suf-

ficient evidence to make an arrest. Tom

had been playing cat and mouse with Ann.

Finally she got tired of it and broke up with

him.

play dumb Go to play ignorant.

play fair to do something by the rules; to

play something in a fair and just manner.

John won’t play with Bill anymore be-

cause Bill doesn’t play fair. You moved

the golf ball with your foot! That’s not

playing fair!

play fast and loose (with someone or some-

thing) to act carelessly, thoughtlessly, and

irresponsibly. (Informal.) I’m tired of

your playing fast and loose with me. Leave

me alone. Bob got fired for playing fast

and loose with the company’s money. If

you play fast and loose like that, you can

get into a lot of trouble.

play first chair 1. to be the leader of a sec-

tion of instruments in an orchestra or a

band. Sally learned to play the violin so

well that she now plays first chair in the

orchestra. I’m going to practice my f lute

so I can play first chair. 2. to act as a

leader. I need to get this job done. Who

plays first chair around here? You’re not

the boss! You don’t play first chair.

play footsie (with someone) 1. to attract

someone’s attention by touching feet un-

der the table; to flirt with someone. (In-

formal.) Bill was trying to play footsie

with Sally at the dinner table. The hostess

was appalled. They shouldn’t play foot-

sie at a formal dinner. 2. to get involved

with someone; to collaborate with some-

one. (Informal.) The treasurer got fired

for playing footsie with the vice president.

When politicians play footsie, there is

usually something illegal going on.

play for keeps to take an action that is per-

manent or final. (Slang.) Mary told me

that Tom wants to marry me. I didn’t

know he wanted to play for keeps. I like

to play cards and make money, but I don’t

like to play for keeps.

play hard to get to be coy, shy, and fickle.

(Usually refers to someone of the oppo-

site sex.) Why can’t we go out? Why do

you play hard to get? Sally annoys all the

boys because she plays hard to get.

play havoc with someone or something Go to

raise havoc with someone or something.

play hob with someone or something Go to

raise hob with someone or something.

play hooky not to go to school or to some

important meeting. (Slang.) Why

aren’t you in school? Are you playing

hooky? I don’t have time for the sales

meeting today, so I think I’ll just play

hooky.

play ignorant and play dumb to pretend

to be ignorant [of something]. I played

ignorant even though I knew about the

surprise party.  John played ignorant

when I asked him if he knew who had been

on the telephone.

play innocent to pretend to be innocent

and not concerned. There is no need to

play innocent. I know you broke the lamp!

John is playing innocent, and he knows

more than he is telling us.

play into someone’s hands [for a person one

is scheming against] to come under one’s

control without realizing it. John is do-

ing exactly what I hoped he would. He’s

playing into my hands. John played into

my hands by taking the coins he found in

my desk. I caught him and had him

arrested.

play it cool to act calm and unconcerned.

(Slang.) No one will suspect anything

if you play it cool. Don’t get angry, Bob.

Play it cool.

play it safe to be or act safe; to avoid tak-

ing a risk. You should play it safe and

take your umbrella. If you have a cold

or the f lu, play it safe and go to bed.

play one’s cards close to one’s vest Go to

play one’s cards close to the chest.

play one’s cards close to the chest and

play one’s cards close to one’s vest;

keep one’s cards close to one’s chest;

keep one’s cards close to one’s vest [for

someone] to work or negotiate in a care-

ful and private manner. (Literal when re-

ferring to concealing one’s cards in a card

game.) It’s hard to figure out what John

is up to because he plays his cards close to

his chest.  Don’t let them know what

you’re up to. Keep your cards close to your

vest.

play one’s cards right and play one’s cards

well to work or negotiate correctly and

skillfully. (Also literal. Informal.) If

you play your cards right, you can get

whatever you want. She didn’t play her

cards well, and she ended up with some-

thing less than what she wanted.

play one’s cards well Go to play one’s cards

right.

play one’s trump card to use a special trick;

to use one’s most powerful or effective

strategy or device. (Also literal. Infor-

mal.) I won’t play my trump card until

I have tried everything else. I thought

that the whole situation was hopeless un-

til Mary played her trump card and solved

the whole problem.

play on something to have an effect on some-

thing; to manage something for a desired

effect. The clerk played on my sense of

responsibility in trying to get me to buy the

book. See if you can get her to confess by

playing on her sense of guilt.

play politics 1. to negotiate politically.

Everybody at city hall is playing politics

as usual. If you’re elected as a member

of a political party, you’ll have to play pol-

itics. 2. to allow politics to dominate in

matters where principle should prevail.

Look, I came here to discuss this trial, not

play politics. They’re not making rea-

sonable decisions. They’re playing politics.

play second fiddle (to someone) to be in a

subordinate position to someone. I’m

tired of playing second fiddle to John.

I’m better trained than he, and I have

more experience. I shouldn’t play second

fiddle.

play someone for something to treat someone

like (a) something. (Slang. Compare this

with take someone for someone or something.)

Don’t play me for a fool! I know what’s

going on. They played her for a jerk, but

were they surprised!

play someone off against someone else to

scheme in a manner that pits two of your

adversaries against one another. Bill

wanted to beat me up and so did Bob. I did

some fast talking, and they ended up fight-

ing with each other. I really played Bill off

against Bob. The president played the

House off against the Senate and ended up

getting his own way.

play someone or something down to lessen the

effect or importance of someone or

something. John is a famous actor, but

the director tried to play him down as just

another member of the cast. T They tried

to play down her earlier arrest.

play someone or something up to make some-

one or something seem to be more im-

portant. The director tried to play Ann

up, but she was not really a star. T Try to

play up the good qualities of our product.

play (the) devil’s advocate to put forward

arguments against or objections to a

proposition—which one may actually

agree with—purely to test the validity of

the proposition. (The devil’s advocate

was given the role of opposing the

canonization of a saint in the medieval

Church in order to prove that the

grounds for canonization were sound.)

I agree with your plan. I’m just playing the

devil’s advocate so you’ll know what the

opposition will say. Mary offered to play

devil’s advocate and argue against our case

so that we would find out any f laws in it.

play the field to date many different peo-

ple rather than going steady. (Informal.

See also go steady with someone.) When

Tom told Ann good-bye, he said he wanted

to play the field. He said he wanted to

play the field while he was still young.

play the fool to act in a silly manner in

order to amuse other people. The

teacher told Tom to stop playing the fool

and sit down. Fred likes playing the fool,

but we didn’t find him funny last night.

play the market to invest in the stock mar-

ket, perhaps recklessly. (Informal. As if it

were a game or gambling.) Would you

rather put your money in the bank or play

the market? I’ve learned my lesson play-

ing the market. I lost a fortune.

play to the gallery to perform in a man-

ner that will get the strong approval of

the audience; to perform in a manner

that will get the approval of the ruder

members of the audience. John is a

competent actor, but he has a tendency to

play to the gallery. When he made the

rude remark, he was just playing to the

gallery.

play tricks (on someone) to trick or confuse

someone. I thought I saw a camel over

there. I guess my eyes are playing tricks on

me. Please don’t play tricks on your lit-

tle brother. It makes him cry.

play up to someone to try to gain someone’s

favor. Bill is always playing up to the

teacher. Ann played up to Bill as if she

wanted him to marry her.

played out worn out; spent; exhausted.

This charcoal is just about played out.

The batteries in this f lashlight are almost

played out.

pleased as punch Go to (as) pleased as

punch.

plenty of something lots of something; an

abundance of something; enough of

something. I have plenty of candy. Do

you want some? This project is giving

me plenty of trouble.

The plot thickens. Things are becoming

more complicated or interesting. The

police assumed that the woman was mur-

dered by her ex-husband, but he has an al-

ibi. The plot thickens. John is supposed

to be going out with Mary, but I saw him

last night with Sally. The plot thickens.

plow into someone or something to crash into

someone or something; to bump hard

into someone or something. (Also literal

if one is running a plow into someone or

something.) The car plowed into the

ditch. The runner plowed into another

player.

plow through something to work through

something with determination. (Also lit-

eral.) She plowed through the book to

learn everything she could. Billy plowed

through dinner and ran outside to play.

pluck up one’s courage to increase one’s

courage a bit. Come on, Ann, make the

dive. Pluck up your courage and do it.

Pluck up your courage, Ann! You can do it!

plug away (at something) and peg away (at

something) to keep trying something; to

keep working at something. John kept

pegging away at the trumpet until he be-

came pretty good at it. I’m not very good

at it, but I keep plugging away.

plug something in to place a plug into a re-

ceptacle. (In can be replaced with into.)

This television set won’t work unless you

plug it in! T Please plug in this lamp.

plumb loco completely crazy. (Folksy.)

If you think you can stand up against Mar-

shall Dillon, you’re plumb loco. Bob is

not just a little strange, he’s plumb loco.

poetic justice the appropriate but chance

receiving of rewards or punishments by

those deserving them. It was poetic jus-

tice that Jane won the race after Mary tried

to get her banned. The car thieves stole

a car with no gas. That’s poetic justice.

the point of no return the halfway point;

the point at which it is too late to turn

back. (Often with past.) The f light was

past the point of no return, so we had to

continue to our destination. The entire

project is past the point of no return; we

will have to continue with it.

point of view a way of thinking about

something; [someone’s] viewpoint; an at-

titude or expression of self-interest.

From my point of view, all this talk is a

waste of time. She has a strange point of

view, but she has made some good obser-

vations about the problem.

point someone or something out to select or in-

dicate someone or something (from a

group). Everyone pointed the error out.

She pointed the thief out to the police of-

ficer. T She pointed out the boy who took

her purse.

point something up to emphasize something;

to demonstrate a fact. I’d like to point

your approach up by citing some authori-

ties who agree with you. T This kind of in-

cident points up the f laws in your system.

point the finger at someone to blame some-

one; to identify someone as the guilty

person. (See also put the finger on some-

one.) Don’t point the finger at me! I

didn’t take the money. The manager re-

fused to point the finger at anyone in par-

ticular and said that everyone was some-

times guilty of being late.

poised for something ready for something;

in the right position and waiting for

something. The cat stared at the mouse,

poised for action. The army was poised

for battle.