Idioms Beginning With P

Idioms Beginning With P

English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.

Idioms Beginning With P with Meaning and Example

Here’s a list of “Idioms Beginning With P” in English:

Paddle one’s own canoe

• Meaning: To be independent and self-reliant.
• Example: After graduating, he decided to paddle his own canoe and start his own business.

Paint the town red

• Meaning: To go out and celebrate noisily in public places.
• Example: After getting the promotion, they went out to paint the town red.

Pandora’s box

• Meaning: A source of endless complications or trouble.
• Example: Investigating the old files might open a Pandora’s box of problems.

Par for the course

• Meaning: Typical; about what one could expect.
• Example: Delays are par for the course with this project.

Pass the buck

• Meaning: To shift responsibility to another person.
• Example: Don’t try to pass the buck—this mistake is your fault.

Pat on the back

• Meaning: Praise or commendation for good work.
• Example: He deserved a pat on the back for his excellent presentation.

Pay through the nose

• Meaning: To pay an excessively high price.
• Example: We had to pay through the nose for those concert tickets.

Peas in a pod

• Meaning: Very similar to each other.
• Example: Those twins are like two peas in a pod.

Penny for your thoughts

• Meaning: Asking someone what they are thinking.
• Example: You seem quiet today. A penny for your thoughts?

Penny pincher

• Meaning: A person who is unwilling to spend money.
• Example: He’s such a penny pincher; he never buys anything unnecessary.

Penny-wise and pound-foolish

• Meaning: Being careful about small amounts of money but wasteful with larger amounts.
• Example: Buying cheap tires was penny-wise and pound-foolish because they wore out quickly.

Pick up the tab

• Meaning: To pay the bill.
• Example: Let me pick up the tab for dinner tonight.

Picture perfect

• Meaning: Perfect in appearance or quality.
• Example: The wedding was picture perfect, just like in the movies.

Piece of cake

• Meaning: Something very easy to do.
• Example: The test was a piece of cake for him.

Pig in a poke

• Meaning: Something bought without first being inspected.
• Example: Buying a car without a test drive is like buying a pig in a poke.

Pin money

• Meaning: A small amount of money for minor expenses.
• Example: She earns some pin money by babysitting on weekends.

Pipe dream

• Meaning: An unattainable or fanciful hope.
• Example: Owning a castle is just a pipe dream for most people.

Play by ear

• Meaning: To handle something in an impromptu manner.
• Example: We don’t have a plan; let’s just play it by ear.

Play it safe

• Meaning: To be cautious and avoid risks.
• Example: He decided to play it safe and not invest in the volatile stock.

Play the field

• Meaning: To date many different people.
• Example: After his breakup, he decided to play the field for a while.

Play with fire

• Meaning: To take dangerous risks.
• Example: If you drive without a seatbelt, you’re playing with fire.

Point blank

• Meaning: Direct and blunt.
• Example: She asked him point blank if he was cheating.

Point of no return

• Meaning: A point at which one must continue on their current course because turning back is no longer possible.
• Example: After signing the contract, we reached the point of no return.

Pop the question

• Meaning: To propose marriage.
• Example: He decided to pop the question during their vacation in Paris.

Pot calling the kettle black

• Meaning: Criticizing someone for a fault one possesses themselves.
• Example: It’s the pot calling the kettle black when he criticizes her work habits.

Pound of flesh

• Meaning: A debt or punishment harshly exacted.
• Example: The landlord is demanding his pound of flesh for the late rent.

Practice makes perfect

• Meaning: Regular practice leads to improvement.
• Example: Keep practicing the piano; practice makes perfect.

Preaching to the choir

• Meaning: Trying to convince people who already agree with you.
• Example: You’re preaching to the choir when you talk about recycling here.

Pretty penny

• Meaning: A large amount of money.
• Example: That new smartphone cost me a pretty penny.

Pull a fast one

• Meaning: To deceive someone.
• Example: He tried to pull a fast one by altering the documents.

Pull someone’s leg

• Meaning: To joke or tease someone.
• Example: I was just pulling your leg about the surprise party.

Pull strings

• Meaning: To use one’s influence to achieve a desired result.
• Example: She managed to pull some strings to get the job.

Pull the plug

• Meaning: To end or discontinue something.
• Example: The company decided to pull the plug on the unprofitable project.

Pull yourself together

• Meaning: To regain control of one’s emotions.
• Example: You need to pull yourself together and face the situation.

Put a sock in it

• Meaning: To tell someone to be quiet.
• Example: The kids were so noisy, I told them to put a sock in it.

Put on airs

• Meaning: To act superior or snobbish.
• Example: She started putting on airs after winning the lottery.

Put on ice

• Meaning: To delay or postpone something.
• Example: The project was put on ice due to budget cuts.

Put the cart before the horse

• Meaning: To do things in the wrong order.
• Example: Planning the party before securing the venue is putting the cart before the horse.

Put the pedal to the metal

• Meaning: To go full speed ahead.
• Example: If we want to meet the deadline, we’ll have to put the pedal to the metal.

Put two and two together

• Meaning: To draw a conclusion from the given facts.
• Example: When he saw the flowers and the ring, he put two and two together and guessed she was getting engaged.

Put up or shut up

• Meaning: To take action or stop talking about it.
• Example: If you’re serious about moving, then put up or shut up.

Put your best foot forward

• Meaning: To make the best possible impression.
• Example: Make sure to put your best foot forward at the interview.

Put your foot in your mouth

• Meaning: To say something embarrassing or inappropriate.
• Example: He really put his foot in his mouth when he mentioned her age.

Put your money where your mouth is

• Meaning: To take action to support one’s words.
• Example: If you believe in the cause, put your money where your mouth is and donate.

Put your shoulder to the wheel

• Meaning: To put in a lot of effort.
• Example: We need everyone to put their shoulder to the wheel to finish this project.

Pack heat

• Meaning: To carry a gun.
• Example: He was caught packing heat without a permit.

Page-turner

• Meaning: A book that is very engaging and difficult to put down.
• Example: Her latest novel is a real page-turner.

Pain in the neck

• Meaning: An annoying or troublesome person or thing.
• Example: The new software update is a pain in the neck.

Pass with flying colors

• Meaning: To pass something with a high score or great success.
• Example: She passed her exams with flying colors.

Passing fancy

• Meaning: A temporary interest or affection.
• Example: His love for painting turned out to be just a passing fancy.

Peaches and cream

• Meaning: Perfectly smooth and attractive.
• Example: Her complexion is peaches and cream.

Pecking order

• Meaning: A hierarchy of status among members of a group.
• Example: In the office pecking order, she’s at the top.

Pencil something in

• Meaning: To make a tentative appointment.
• Example: I’ll pencil you in for 2 PM next Tuesday.

Pep talk

• Meaning: A talk intended to motivate or encourage.
• Example: The coach gave the team a pep talk before the game.

Perfect storm

• Meaning: A rare combination of circumstances creating an unusually bad situation.
• Example: The company faced a perfect storm of high costs and low sales.

Pet peeve

• Meaning: Something that a person finds particularly annoying.
• Example: One of her pet peeves is people chewing loudly.

Pick a fight

• Meaning: To deliberately provoke a confrontation.
• Example: He’s always looking to pick a fight with his coworkers.

Pick up the slack

• Meaning: To do the work that someone else has stopped doing.
• Example: With John out sick, we all had to pick up the slack.

Pie in the sky

• Meaning: An unrealistic or impractical hope.
• Example: His plan to buy a mansion is just pie in the sky.

Pin someone down

• Meaning: To force someone to be specific or make a decision.
• Example: I had to pin him down to get a definite answer.

Pinch pennies

• Meaning: To be very frugal.
• Example: They’ve been pinching pennies to save for their vacation.

Pink slip

• Meaning: A notice of dismissal from employment.
• Example: He got a pink slip after the company downsized.

Piping hot

• Meaning: Very hot, usually said of food.
• Example: The soup was served piping hot.

Pipped to the post

• Meaning: Defeated by a narrow margin.
• Example: She was pipped to the post by her competitor in the final seconds of the race.

Pissing contest

• Meaning: A pointless competition to prove superiority.
• Example: The debate turned into a pissing contest between the two candidates.

Play ball

• Meaning: To cooperate or agree to participate.
• Example: If we want this project to succeed, we all need to play ball.

Play cat and mouse

• Meaning: To engage in a playful or deceptive game.
• Example: The detective played cat and mouse with the suspect.

Play hardball

• Meaning: To act aggressively and competitively.
• Example: In business, you sometimes have to play hardball to succeed.

Play the percentages

• Meaning: To act according to what is most likely to succeed.
• Example: He played the percentages by investing in blue-chip stocks.

Play the ponies

• Meaning: To bet on horse racing.
• Example: He enjoys playing the ponies on the weekends.

Point the finger at

• Meaning: To accuse or blame someone.
• Example: The media pointed the finger at the CEO for the company’s failures.

Poison pill

• Meaning: A tactic used by a company to avoid a hostile takeover.
• Example: The company adopted a poison pill strategy to fend off the takeover bid.

Pop one’s clogs

• Meaning: To die.
• Example: He popped his clogs at the ripe old age of 90.

Pop one’s cork

• Meaning: To lose one’s temper.
• Example: She popped her cork when she found out about the betrayal.

Pour (rub) salt into (on) the wound

• Meaning: To make a bad situation worse.
• Example: Losing the match was bad enough, but hearing the crowd cheer for the opponent rubbed salt into the wound.

Powder keg

• Meaning: A potentially explosive or dangerous situation.
• Example: The political tension in the region is a powder keg.

Powder one’s nose

• Meaning: A euphemism for going to the bathroom.
• Example: She excused herself to powder her nose.

Preach to the choir

• Meaning: To advocate to those who already agree with you.
• Example: Telling your friends to support the local team is like preaching to the choir.

Price yourself out of the market

• Meaning: To charge so much that no one wants to buy.
• Example: If we increase prices too much, we risk pricing ourselves out of the market.

Puddle jumper

• Meaning: A small airplane, especially one used for short trips.
• Example: We took a puddle jumper from the mainland to the island.

Pull out all the stops

• Meaning: To do everything possible to succeed.
• Example: The team pulled out all the stops to win the championship.

Puppies and rainbows

• Meaning: Something unrealistically happy or idealistic.
• Example: Her description of the job was all puppies and rainbows, ignoring the real challenges.

Puppy dog eyes

• Meaning: A pleading or innocent expression.
• Example: He gave me those puppy dog eyes, and I couldn’t say no.

Puppy love

• Meaning: Adolescent or immature love.
• Example: Their relationship was just puppy love; they were too young to be serious.

Pure as the driven snow

• Meaning: Completely innocent or virtuous.
• Example: She likes to think she’s pure as the driven snow, but everyone has their flaws.

Push the envelope

• Meaning: To go beyond the limits of what is considered acceptable.
• Example: The artist’s new work really pushes the envelope.

Pushing up daisies

• Meaning: Dead and buried.
• Example: Someday we’ll all be pushing up daisies.

Put a thumb on the scale

• Meaning: To unfairly influence the outcome.
• Example: The judge was accused of putting a thumb on the scale in favor of the plaintiff.

Put down roots

• Meaning: To settle in a place and establish a home.
• Example: They put down roots in the small town after years of moving around.

Put in one’s two cents

• Meaning: To offer one’s opinion.
• Example: He put in his two cents during the meeting.

Put lipstick on a pig

• Meaning: To make superficial changes to something to make it look better.
• Example: Rebranding won’t help; it’s just putting lipstick on a pig.

Put one’s face on

• Meaning: To apply makeup.
• Example: She needs a few minutes to put her face on before we leave.

Put out feelers

• Meaning: To make informal inquiries.
• Example: We’re putting out feelers to see if there’s interest in the new product.

Put someone on the spot

• Meaning: To force someone to answer a difficult question or make a decision.
• Example: She was put on the spot during the press conference.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it

• Meaning: To accept something unpleasant.
• Example: He won the argument, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Put the best face on (something)

• Meaning: To present something in the best possible light.
• Example: Despite the setback, she put the best face on the situation.

Put the brakes on

• Meaning: To slow down or stop something.
• Example: We need to put the brakes on spending to balance the budget.

Put the cat among the pigeons

• Meaning: To do or say something that causes trouble or controversy.
• Example: His candid remarks put the cat among the pigeons at the meeting.

Put the genie back in the bottle

• Meaning: To try to return to the previous state after a significant change.
• Example: Once the secret was out, there was no putting the genie back in the bottle.

List of Idioms Beginning With P

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