50+ Phrases Beginning With P

Phrases Beginning With P

English Phrases, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because Phrases 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 Phrases is fun, especially when you compare English Phrases to the Phrases in your own language.

List of Phrases Beginning With P

Phrases Beginning With P with Meaning and Example

Paint the town red

Meaning: To go out and enjoy oneself extravagantly.
Example: After getting their bonuses, they decided to paint the town red.

Pandora’s box

Meaning: A source of endless complications or trouble.
Example: By investigating the company’s finances, they opened Pandora’s box.

Par for the course

Meaning: Something that is normal or expected.
Example: Delays in construction projects are par for the course.

Pass the buck

Meaning: To shift responsibility to someone else.
Example: The manager tried to pass the buck to his team when the project failed.

Pat on the back

Meaning: To give someone praise or recognition.
Example: She received a pat on the back from her boss for her excellent work.

Pay the piper

Meaning: To face the consequences of one’s actions.
Example: After years of avoiding taxes, he finally had to pay the piper.

Pearls of wisdom

Meaning: Valuable advice or insights.
Example: My grandmother always offers pearls of wisdom when I visit her.

Pedal to the metal

Meaning: To go full speed or put in maximum effort.
Example: With the deadline approaching, they put the pedal to the metal to finish the project.

Peeping Tom

Meaning: Someone who secretly watches others, often in a voyeuristic way.
Example: The neighborhood warned each other about a Peeping Tom who had been spotted.

Penny for your thoughts

Meaning: A way of asking someone what they are thinking.
Example: You seem very quiet today. A penny for your thoughts?

Penny pincher

Meaning: A person who is extremely frugal or stingy.
Example: He’s such a penny pincher that he reuses tea bags.

Perfect storm

Meaning: A particularly bad or critical situation, arising from a combination of negative factors.
Example: The company’s financial troubles were a perfect storm of poor management and a weak economy.

Pet peeve

Meaning: Something that annoys or irritates a person greatly.
Example: One of my biggest pet peeves is people chewing loudly.

Piece of cake

Meaning: Something that is very easy to do.
Example: Fixing the leaky faucet was a piece of cake for him.

Pig in a poke

Meaning: Something that is bought or accepted without knowing its value or condition.
Example: Buying that used car without a test drive was like buying a pig in a poke.

Pipe dream

Meaning: An unrealistic or unattainable hope or plan.
Example: Becoming a professional athlete is just a pipe dream for most people.

Place in the sun

Meaning: A favorable or advantageous position.
Example: After years of hard work, he finally found his place in the sun.

Play by ear

Meaning: To improvise or handle a situation as it occurs.
Example: We don’t have a plan for the trip; we’ll just play it by ear.

Play devil’s advocate

Meaning: To argue against something for the sake of debate or to test its validity.
Example: She played devil’s advocate to challenge his assumptions during the discussion.

Play it safe

Meaning: To act cautiously and avoid risks.
Example: He decided to play it safe and invest in a savings account rather than the stock market.

Play second fiddle

Meaning: To be in a subordinate position to someone else.
Example: She was tired of playing second fiddle to her more outspoken colleague.

Play with fire

Meaning: To take dangerous risks.
Example: He’s playing with fire by getting involved in illegal activities.

Point of no return

Meaning: A point at which it is impossible to go back to the previous state or situation.
Example: Once we sign the contract, we’ll reach the point of no return.

Pop the question

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

Pot calling the kettle black

Meaning: Accusing someone of a fault that one has oneself.
Example: Telling me I need to be more organized is the pot calling the kettle black.

Power nap

Meaning: A short sleep taken during the day to restore one’s energy.
Example: She took a quick power nap during her lunch break to stay alert for the afternoon.

Pull a fast one

Meaning: To deceive or trick someone.
Example: He tried to pull a fast one by switching the price tags on the items.

Pull out all the stops

Meaning: To do everything possible to achieve a result.
Example: The company pulled out all the stops to make the product launch a success.

Pull the plug

Meaning: To terminate a project or activity.
Example: The manager decided to pull the plug on the underperforming project.

Push the envelope

Meaning: To go beyond the limits of what is considered possible or acceptable.
Example: The artist always tries to push the envelope with his innovative work.

Put a lid on it

Meaning: To stop talking or making noise.
Example: When the argument got too heated, she told everyone to put a lid on it.

Put down roots

Meaning: To settle in a place and make it one’s home.
Example: After years of traveling, they finally put down roots in a small town.

Put on airs

Meaning: To act superior or snobbish.
Example: He tends to put on airs when he’s around his wealthy friends.

Put on the back burner

Meaning: To delay or postpone something.
Example: They decided to put the renovation plans on the back burner until they had more funds.

Put one’s foot in one’s mouth

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

Put the cart before the horse

Meaning: To do things in the wrong order.
Example: Planning the trip before booking the flights is like putting the cart before the horse.

Put two and two together

Meaning: To draw a conclusion from the information available.
Example: When she saw the new car, she put two and two together and realized he got a promotion.

Put your best foot forward

Meaning: To make the best possible impression.
Example: She put her best foot forward in the job interview.

Put your foot down

Meaning: To be firm or assertive.
Example: He had to put his foot down when the kids asked for more candy before dinner.

Put your money where your mouth is

Meaning: To support one’s words with actions or financial commitment.
Example: If you believe in the project so much, put your money where your mouth is and invest.

Paint the town red

Meaning: To go out and celebrate boisterously.
Example: After the exam, the students decided to paint the town red.

Par for the course

Meaning: Typical or expected, especially in a situation that is not ideal.
Example: Delays are par for the course in construction projects.

Photo finish

Meaning: A race or contest that is so close that a photograph is needed to determine the winner.
Example: The race ended in a photo finish, with both runners crossing the line simultaneously.

Playing for keeps

Meaning: To take something very seriously, with the intention of winning or succeeding.
Example: When it comes to business, he’s playing for keeps.

Playing possum

Meaning: Pretending to be asleep or dead, or avoiding situations by pretending.
Example: She was just playing possum, hoping to avoid the uncomfortable conversation.

Pot calling the kettle black

Meaning: Accusing someone of a fault that one has oneself.
Example: Criticizing me for being late is like the pot calling the kettle black.

Put a sock in it

Meaning: To tell someone to stop talking.
Example: She told her brother to put a sock in it during the movie.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Meaning: A visual presentation is more descriptive than words.
Example: The photograph of the disaster-stricken area was a stark reminder that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Pins and needles

Meaning: A tingling sensation, often caused by anxiety or excitement.
Example: She was on pins and needles waiting for the exam results.

Playing with fire

Meaning: Taking unnecessary risks.
Example: By investing all his savings in one stock, he’s playing with fire.

Practice makes perfect

Meaning: Regular practice leads to proficiency.
Example: Keep practicing your piano lessons, because practice makes perfect.

Put all your eggs in one basket

Meaning: To risk everything on a single venture.
Example: Diversify your investments; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it

Meaning: Accept or consider what has been said, even if it is unwelcome.
Example: I got the promotion, not you, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

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