VOCABULARY - IDIOMS

Pack Heat

Meaning: Carry a gun

Paddle One’s Own Canoe

Meaning: To be able to act independently.

Page-Turner

Meaning: A page-turner is an exciting book that’s easy to read, a book that’s difficult to put down.

Pain in the Neck

Meaning: Someone or something making your life difficult

Paint the Town Red

Meaning: Go out drinking and partying

Par for the Course

Meaning: What would normally be expected. This has a negative connotation.

Pass the Buck

Meaning: Transfer a problem to someone else

Pass With Flying Colors

Meaning: To succeed brilliantly, as on an exam or other test

Passing Fancy

Meaning: A temporary interest or attraction

Pay Through the Nose

Meaning: Pay a large amount of money

Peaches and Cream

Meaning: A situation, process, etc., that has no trouble or problems

Pecking Order

Meaning: Hierarchy, rank of importance

Pencil Something In

Meaning: Make tentative arrangements

Penny-Pinching

Meaning: Frugal, avoiding expenses whenever possible

Pep Talk

Meaning: An encouraging speech given to a person or group

Perfect Storm

Meaning: A rare combination of disastrous occurrences

Pet Peeve

Meaning: A small thing that you find particularly annoying

Pick a Fight

Meaning: Intentionally provoke a conflict or fight with someone

Pick Up the Slack

Meaning: Do something that someone else is not doing; assume someone else’s responsibilities

Pick Up the Tab

Meaning: To pay a bill presented to a group, especially in a restaurant or bar

Pie in the Sky

Meaning: Something that is unrealistic or that cannot be achieved

Piece of Cake

Meaning: Very easily done

Pin Someone Down

Meaning: Demand a decision or clear answer

Pinch Pennies

Meaning: To be careful with money, to be thrify

Pink Slip

Meaning: A layoff notice; loss of a job, typically because of layoffs

Pipe Dream

Meaning: An unrealistic hope, a fantasy

Piping Hot

Meaning: Very hot (generally said of food)

Pipped to the Post

Meaning: Defeated by a narrow margin

Pissing Contest

Meaning: A meaningless argument or competition, typically between males

Play Ball

Meaning: Cooperate, agree to participate

Play Cat And Mouse

Meaning: Trying to trick someone into making a mistake so you can defeat them.

Play Hardball

Meaning: Adopt a tough negotiating position; act aggressively

Play it by Ear

Meaning: To play a piece of music without referencing sheet music or a recording

Play It by Ear

Meaning: To respond to circumstances instead of having a fixed plan

Play the Percentages

Meaning: Bet on or rely on what is most likely to happen

Play the Ponies

Meaning: Bet on horse racing.

Play With Fire

Meaning: Do something very risky

Play Your Cards Right

Meaning: Exploit a situation to your best advantage

Point of No Return

Meaning: A place from which it is impossible to go back to the starting point

Point the Finger At

Meaning: Blame (someone)

Point the Finger

Meaning: At Blame (someone)

Poison Pill

Meaning: A provision or feature added to a measure or an entity to make it less attractive, an undesirable add-on

Poison Pill

Meaning: A provision or feature added to a measure or an entity to make it less attractive, an undesirable add-on

Pop One’s Clogs

Meaning: To die

Pop One’s Cork

Meaning: To release one’s anger; to blow one’s top

Pop the Question

Meaning: Propose marriage

Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Meaning: Accusing someone of something of which you are also guilty; being hypocritical

Pour (Rub) Salt into (on) the Wound (an open wound)

Meaning: Worsen an insult or injury; make a bad situation worse for someone

Powder Keg

Meaning: An explosive situation, a situation in which people are angry and ready to be violent

Powder One’s Nose

Meaning: To use the restroom (lavatory). This is used by women

Preach to the Choir, Preach to the Converted

Meaning: To make an argument with which your listeners already agree

Preaching to the Choir

Meaning: Making arguments to those who already agree with you

Pretty Penny

Meaning: A lot of money; too much money (when referring to the cost of something)

Price Yourself Out of the Market

Meaning: Try to sell goods or services at such a high price that nobody buys them.

Puddle Jumper

Meaning: A small airplane, used on short trips

Pull Out All the Stops

Meaning: Do everything possible to accomplish something

Pull Strings

Meaning: Use influence that’s based on personal connections

Pull the Plug On

Meaning: Terminate (something)

Pull Yourself Together

Meaning: Control your emotions; recover from a strong emptional upset

Puppies And Rainbows

Meaning: Perfect, ideal (usually used slightly sarcastically, in contrast with a less ideal situation)

Puppy Dog Eyes

Meaning: A begging look

Puppy Love

Meaning: Adolescent love or infatuation, especially one that is not expected to last

Pure as the Driven Snow

Meaning: To be innocent and chaste (frequently used ironically)

Push the Envelope

Meaning: Go beyond common ways of doing something, be innovative

Pushing Up Daisies

Meaning: be dead and buried.

Put a Thumb on the Scale

Meaning: Try to influence a discussion in an unfair way, cheat

Put Down Roots

Meaning: Establish oneself in a place; settle

Put in One’s Two Cents

Meaning: Say your opinion

Put Lipstick on a Pig

Meaning: Make cosmetic changes to something bad

Put one’s Face On

Meaning: Apply cosmetics

Put Out Feelers

Meaning: Make discreet, informal suggestions, ask around

Put Someone on the Spot

Meaning: Force someone to answer a question or make a decision immediately

Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke It

Meaning: Accept and consider what I’m saying, even if you don’t like it!

Put the Best Face On (Something)

Meaning: Emphasize the positive aspects of a bad situation

Put the Brakes On

Meaning: Slow something down

Put the Cart Before The Horse

Meaning: To do things in the wrong order

Put the Cart Before the Horse

Meaning: To do things out of the proper order.

Put the Cat Among The Pigeons

Meaning: Say or do something that causes trouble or controversy

Put the Genie Back in the Bottle

Meaning: Try to suppress something that has already been revealed or done

Put the Pedal to the Metal

Meaning: Drive as fast as possible

Put Up with (Something)

Meaning: Tolerate, accept

Put Words Into Someone’s Mouth

Meaning: Attributing an opinion to someone who has never stated that opinion

Put Your Foot Down

Meaning: Use your authority to stop negative behavior

Put Your Foot In Your Mouth

Meaning: Say something that you immediately regret

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Meaning: Back up your opinions with a financial commitment