Текст книги "Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц"

P

[p] See: MIND ONE’S P’S AND Q’S.

[pace] See: CHANGE OF PACE, KEEP PACE, PUT THROUGH ONE’S PACES, SNAIL’S PACE.

[pace off] See: STEP OFF(2).

[pace-setter], [pace-setting] See: SET THE PACE.

[pack a punch] or [pack a wallop]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To be able to give a powerful blow; have a dangerous fist. •/He packed a mean punch./ 2. To have a violent effect; be powerful. •/It was vodka, and it packed quite a wallop./

[pack off]{v.}, {informal} To send away; dismiss abruptly. •/When an Englishman got in trouble long ago, his family would pack him off to Australia or some other distant land./ •/Jane couldn’t really get started on her homework until she had packed the children off to school./

[pack rat]{n.}, {informal} A person who cannot part with old, useless objects; an avid collector of useless things; a junk hoarder. •/«Why are there so many things in this room?» John asked. «It is my brother’s room, and he is a pack rat; he is unable to throw stuff away.»/

[packed (in) like sardines]{adj. phr.} So tightly crowded that there is hardly room to turn. •/The trains are so full during rush hour that we must go to work packed in like sardines./

[pack of lies]{n. phr.} An unbelievable story; unprovable allegations. •/What Al told us about his new girlfriend was nothing but a pack of lies./

[pack one’s bag]{v. phr.} To leave a place out of anger, annoyance, or disagreement. •/«This place is beginning to irritate me,» she said to her friend. «I want to pack my bags and get out of here.»/

[pack up]{v. phr.} To pack one’s suitcase for traveling; prepare a package. •/Without saying a single word, the unhappy husband packed up and left./

[paddle] See: UP THE CREEK or UP THE CREEK WITHOUT A PADDLE.

[paddle one’s own canoe]{v. phr.}, {informal} To work without help; earn your own living; support yourself. •/After his father died, John had to paddle his own canoe./ Syn.: HOE ONE’S OWN ROW. Compare: MAKE ONE’S WAY.

[paddy wagon]{n.}, {informal} A police van used for transporting prisoners to jail or the police station. •/The police threw the demonstrators into the paddy wagon./

[pad the bill]{v. phr.} To add false expenses to a bill; make a bill larger than it really was. •/The salesman padded the bill for his traveling expenses by exaggerating his food expenses./

[pain] See: AT PAINS, FEEL NO PAIN, GIVE A PAIN, GROWING PAINS, ON PAIN OF, TAKE PAINS.

[pain in the ass] or [pain in the neck]{n.}, {slang}, {vulgar with ass} An obnoxious or bothersome person or event. •/Phoebe Hochrichter is a regular pain in the neck (ass)./

[paint a gloomy picture]{v. phr.} To describe something in a gloomy, pessimistic way. •/We are sad because the weather forecast has painted a gloomy picture for all of next week when we go on vacation./

[paint oneself into a corner]{v. phr.} To get oneself into a bad situation that is difficult or impossible to get out of. •/By promising to both lower taxes and raise the defense budget, the president has painted himself into a corner./

[paint the lily] See: GILD THE LILY.

[paint the town red] or [paint the town]{v. phr.}, {slang} To go out to drink and have a good time; celebrate wildly; carouse. •/It was the sailors' first night ashore; they painted the town red./ Compare: ON THE TOWN(2).

[pair] See: TAKE TO ONE’S HEELS also SHOW A CLEAN PAIR OF HEELS.

[pair off]{v.} 1. To make a pair of; put two together; associate; match. •/Mrs. Smith paired off her guests by age and tastes./ 2. To belong to a pair; become one of a pair. •/Jane paired off with Alice in a tennis doubles match./ 3. To divide or join into pairs. •/Later in the day the picnic crowd paired off for walks and boat rides./

[pair up]{v.} 1. To make a pair of; match. •/When she finished the mending, she paired up the socks./ 2. To form a pair; to be or become one of a pair. •/Not all the socks would pair up./ •/Joe paired up with Charlie to work on the lesson./

[pajamas] See: CAT’S MEOW or CAT’S PAJAMAS.

[pal] See: PEN PAL.

[pale] See: BEYOND THE PALE.

[pale around the gills] See: GREEN AROUND THE GILLS.

[palm] See: CARRY OFF THE PALM, GREASE ONE’S PALM, ITCHING PALM.

[palm off]{v.}, {informal} 1. To sell or give (something) by pretending it is something more valuable; to sell or give by trickery. •/He palmed off his own painting as a Rembrandt./ •/The salesman palmed off pine wood floors as oak./ Syn.: FOB OFF, PASS OFF. 2. To deceive (someone) by a trick or lie. •/He palmed his creditors off with a great show of prosperity./ Syn.: PUT OFF. 3. To introduce someone as a person he isn’t; present in a false pretense. •/He palmed the girl off as a real Broadway actress./

[pan] See: FLASH IN THE PAN, OUT OF THE PRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE.

[Pandora’s box]{n. phr.}, {literary} A thing or problem that, if activated, will give rise to many unmanageable problems. •/If they insist on having that inquiry, they will open up a Pandora’s box./ Compare: CAN OF WORMS.

[pan gravy]{n.} Gravy made with meat drippings with seasoning and often a little water. •/His wife liked cream gravy, but he preferred pan gravy./ •/Pan gravy from country ham is often called red-eye gravy./

[panic] See: PUSH THE PANIC BUTTON.

[pan out]{v.}, {informal} To have a result, especially a good result; result favorably; succeed. •/Suppose the class tried to make money by selling candy. How would that pan out?/ •/Edison’s efforts to invent an electric light bulb did not pan out until he used tungsten wires./

[pant for]{v. phr.} To desire something very deeply. •/He is panting for his girlfriend, who went out of town to see her family./

[pants] See: ANTS IN ONE’S PANTS, CATCH ONE WITH ONE’S PANTS DOWN, FANCY PANTS, FLY BY THE SEAT OF ONE’S PANTS, GET THE LEAD OUT OF ONE’S PANTS, KICK IN THE PANTS, WEAR THE TROUSERS or WEAR THE PANTS.

[paper] See: ON PAPER, WALKING PAPERS.

[par] See: UP TO PAR.

[parade] See: HIT PARADE.

[parade rest]{n.} A position in which soldiers stand still, with feet apart and hands behind their backs. •/The marines were at parade rest in front of the officials' platform./ Compare: AT EASE(3).

[parallel bars]{n.} Two horizontal bars the same distance apart, that are a few feet above the floor of a gymnasium. •/The boys exercised on the parallel bars in the gym./

[parcel] See: PART AND PARCEL.

[parcel out]{v.} To give out in parts or shares; divide. •/He parceled out the remaining food to the workers./

[par for the course]{n. phr.}, {informal} Just what was expected; nothing unusual; a typical happening. – Usually refers to things going wrong. •/Mary is very clumsy so it was par for the course when she bumped into the table and broke the vase./ •/When John came late again, Mary said, «That’s par for the course.»/ Compare: ALL IN A DAY’S WORK, RUNNING TRUE TO FORM.

[pare down]{v. phr.} To limit; economize; reduce. •/With a smaller income per month, the family had to pare down their household expenses./

[parliamentary law]{n.} The rules for legislative or other meetings. •/The club followed parliamentary law at the business meeting./

[parrot-fashion]{adv.} Like a parrot; by rote memorization and without any understanding. •/The candidate delivered a speech that was prepared for him and he read it parrot-fashion./

[part] See: DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR, FOOL AND HIS MONEY ARE SOON PARTED, FOR MY PART, FOR ONE’S PART also ON ONE’S PART, FOR THE MOST PART, IN PART, MAN OF PARTS, TAKE PART.

[partake of]{v.}, {formal} 1. To take some of; receive a share of; eat. •/He partook of ordinary country fare as he traveled./ 2. To have the same qualities as; show the characteristics of. •/Her way of cooking partook of both Italian and American habits./

[part and parcel]{n. phr.} A necessary or important part; something necessary to a larger thing. – Usually followed by «of». •/Freedom of speech is part and parcel of the liberty of a free man./

[part company]{v. phr.} 1. To part with someone; leave each other; separate. •/The boys parted company as they came from the park./ •/George parted company with the others at his front door./ 2. To be different from someone in opinion or action; follow your own way; disagree; differ. •/They parted company on where the new highway should be built./ •/The mayor parted company with the newspapers on raising taxes./

[partial to]{v. phr.} Having a weakness for; favorable toward. •/He seems to be partial to blondes while his brother is partial to redheads./

[particular] See: IN PARTICULAR.

[parting of the ways]{n. phr.} 1. The point where a road or path divides; a fork. •/They stood undecided at a parting of the ways, where a forest path forked./ 2. A time or place where a choice must be made; a deciding point. •/He had come to a parting of the ways: he had to choose the high school courses that would prepare him for college, or the courses that would prepare him for business./

[part of the furniture]{n. phr.} In a job or position for so long that one is taken entirely for granted, like a part of the physical surroundings. •/He has been working in the same office for so many years now that people consider him to be a part of the furniture./

[part with]{v.} 1. To separate from; leave. •/He parted with us at the end of the trip./ Compare: PART COMPANY. 2. To let go. •/They were sorry to part with the old house./ •/He had to part with his secretary when she got married./ Compare: GIVE UP.

[party] See: HEN PARTY, LIFE OF THE PARTY, NECK-TIE PARTY, THROW A PARTY.

[party line]{n. phr.} Ideas, policies, and goals set forth by the leadership of a group or organization. •/Dan seldom has an original idea but he keeps faithfully repeating his company’s party line./

[party to]{adj. phr.} Concerned with; participating in. •/The prosecution has been trying to show that the defendant was party to a fraud./

[pass] See: BRING TO PASS, COME TO PASS, FORWARD PASS, JUMP PASS, SCREEN PASS.

[pass around]{v. phr.} To circulate from one to another; distribute something among a group of people. •/Why doesn’t he pass around the appetizers to the guests?/

[pass away]{v.} 1. To slip by; go by; pass. •/We had so much fun that the weekend passed away before we realized it./ •/Forty years had passed away since they had met./ 2. To cease to exist; end; disappear; vanish •/When automobiles became popular, the use of the horse and buggy passed away./ 3. To have your life stop; die. •/He passed away at eighty./ Syn.: PASS ON(3), PASS OUT(3).

[pass by] See: PASS OVER.

[pass by the board] See: GO BY THE BOARD.

[passed ball]{n.} A pitched baseball missed by the catcher when he should have been able to catch it. •/The batter singled and went to second on a passed ball./

[pass for]{v. phr.} To be taken for; be considered as. •/Charles speaks Arabic so fluently that he could easily pass for an Arab./

[passing] See: IN PASSING.

[pass muster]{v. phr.}, {informal} To pass a test or check-up; be good enough. •/After a practice period, Sam found that he was able to pass muster as a lathe operator./ •/His work was done carefully, so it always passed muster./ Compare: MEASURE UP.

[pass off]{v.} 1. To sell or give (something) by false claims; offer (something fake) as genuine. •/The dishonest builder passed off a poorly built house by pretending it was well constructed./ Syn.: FOB OFF, PALM OFF(2). To claim to be someone you are not; pretend to be someone else. •/He passed himself off as a doctor until someone checked his record./ 3. To go away gradually; disappear. •/Mrs. White’s morning headache had passed off by that night./ 4. To reach an end; run its course from beginning to end. •/The party passed off well./ Syn.: GO OFF.

[pass on]{v.} 1. To give an opinion about; judge; settle. •/The college passed on his application and found him acceptable./ •/The committee recommended three people for the job and the president passed on them./ 2. To give away (something that has been outgrown.) •/As he grew up, he passed on his clothes to his younger brother./ Compare: HAND DOWN. 3. To die. •/Mary was very sorry to hear that her first grade teacher had passed on./ Syn.: PASS AWAY(3), PASS OUT(3).

[pass out]{v.}, {informal} 1. To lose consciousness; faint. •/She went back to work while she was still sick, and finally she just passed out./ Compare: GIVE OUT(3). 2. or {slang}[pass out cold] To drop into a drunken stupor; become unconscious from drink. •/After three drinks, the man passed out./ 3. To die. •/Life came and went weakly in him for hours after surgery; then he passed out./ Syn.: PASS AWAY(3), PASS ON(3).

[pass over] or [pass by]{v.} To give no attention to; not notice; ignore, •/I can pass over the disorderliness of the troops, but their disobedience is serious./ •/In choosing men to be given a salary raise, the foreman passed Mr. Hart by./ •/She was unattractive, the kind of a girl that everybody would pass by./

[pass the buck]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make another person decide something or accept a responsibility or give orders instead of doing it yourself; shift or escape responsibility or blame; put the duty or blame on someone else. •/Mrs. Brown complained to the man who sold her the bad meat, but he only passed the buck and told her to see the manager./ •/If you break a window, do not pass the buck; admit that you did it./ Compare: LET GEORGE DO IT. – [buck-passer]{n. phr.} A person who passes the buck. •/Mr. Jones was a buck-passer even at home, and tried to make his wife make all the decisions./ – [buck-passing]{n.} or {adj.} •/Buck-passing clerks in stores make customers angry./

[pass the hat]{v. phr.} To solicit money; take up collections for a cause. •/The businessmen’s club frequently passes the hat for contributions toward scholarships./

[pass the time of day]{v. phr.} To exchange greetings; stop for a chat. •/They met at the corner and paused to pass the time of day./

[pass through one’s mind] See: CROSS ONE’S MIND.

[pass up]{v.} To let (something) go by; refuse. •/Mary passed up the dessert because she was on a diet./ •/John was offered a good job in California, but he passed it up because he didn’t want to move./ Compare: TURN DOWN.

[pass upon]{v. phr.} To express an opinion about; judge. •/George said he wanted his wife to pass up the new house before he decided to buy it./

[pass with flying colors] See: WITH FLYING COLORS.

[past master]{n. phr.} An expert. •/Alan wins so often because he is a past master at chess./

[past one’s peak]{adj. phr.} No longer as strong, efficient, or able as one once was, usually because of advanced age and decreased ability. •/He used to be a terrific athlete but we’re afraid he is past his peak./

[pat] See: PIT-A-PAT, STAND PAT.

[pat-a-cake]{n.} A clapping game that keeps time to a nursery rhyme. •/Mother played pat-a-cake with the baby./

[patch up]{v.} 1. To mend a hole or break; repair; fix. •/He patched up a couple of old tires./ •/The lovers patched up their quarrel./ 2. To put together in a hurried or shaky way. •/They patched up a hasty peace./

[pat on the back(1)]{v. phr.} 1. To clap lightly on the back in support, encouragement, or praise. •/The coach patted the player on the back and said a few encouraging words./ 2. To make your support or encouragement for (someone) felt; praise. •/After he won the game, everyone patted him on the back for days./

[pat on the back(2)]{n. phr.} 1. An encouraging tap of the hand on someone’s back; a show of sympathy or support. •/I gave her a pat on the back and told her she had done fine work./ 2. A word or gesture of praise or other encouragement; applause. •/Pats on the back weren’t enough; he wanted hard cash./

[patrol] See: SHORE PATROL.

[Paul] See: ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL.

[pause] See: GIVE PAUSE.

[pavement] See: POUND THE PAVEMENT.

[pave the way]{v. phr.} To make preparation; make easy. •/Aviation paved the way for space travel./ •/A good education paves the way to success./

[pay] See: DEVIL TO PAY.

[pay a call]{v. phr.} To visit someone. •/«Come and pay us a call some time, when you’re in town,» Sue said to Henry./

[pay as one goes]{v. phr.} To pay cash; to pay at once; to avoid charging anything bought; to avoid debt entirely by paying cash. – Usually used with «you». •/It is best to pay as you go; then you will not have to worry about paying debts later./

[pay attention]{v. phr.} To listen to someone; hear and understand someone alertly. •/«Pay attention, children!» the teacher cried, «Here is your homework for next week!»/

[pay court to]{v. phr.} To woo; to shower with attention. •/He had been paying court to her for three long years before he worked up the courage to ask her to marry him./

[pay dirt]{n.}, {slang} 1. The dirt in which much gold is found. •/The man searched for gold many years before he found pay dirt./ 2. {informal} A valuable discovery. – Often used in the phrase «strike pay dirt». •/When Bill joined the team, the coach struck pay dirt./ •/Jean looked in many books for facts about her hometown, and finally she struck pay dirt./ Compare: STRIKE IT RICH.

[pay down]{v. phr.} 1. To give as a deposit on some purchase, the rest of which is to be paid in periodic installments. •/«How much can you pay down on the house, sir?» the realtor asked./ 2. To decrease a debt with periodical payments. •/I’d like to pay down the charges on my credit cards./ Compare: DOWN PAYMENT.

[pay for]{v.} To have trouble because of (something you did wrong or did not do); be punished or suffer because of. •/When Bob could not get a good job, he realized he had to pay for all the years of fooling around instead of working in school./ •/Mary was very mean to John because she wanted to make him pay for all the years in which he had ignored her./ Compare: MAKE UP(3b), PAY OFF.

[pay in advance] See: IN ADVANCE.

[pay lip service to] See: LIP SERVICE.

[payoff]{n.} Culmination point; climax. •/After many months of patient labor on your book, the payoff comes when you see the first printed copy./

[pay off]{v. phr.} 1. To pay the wages of. •/The men were paid off just before quitting time, the last day before the holiday./ 2. To pay and discharge from a job. •/When the building was completed he paid off the laborers./ 3. To hurt (someone) who has done wrong to you; get revenge on. •/When Bob tripped Dick, Dick paid Bob off by punching him in the nose./ Syn.: PAY BACK. 4. {informal} To bring a return; make profit. •/At first Mr. Harrison lost money on his investments, but finally one paid off./ 5. {informal} To prove successful, rewarding, or worthwhile. •/Ben’s friendship with the old man who lived beside him paid off in pleasant hours and broadened interests./ •/John studied hard before the examination, and it paid off. He made an A./

[pay one a left-handed compliment] See: LEFT-HANDED COMPLIMENT.

[pay one back in his own coin]{v. phr.} To retaliate. •/Jim refused to help Bob when he needed it most, so Bob decided to pay him back in his own coin and told him to go and look for help elsewhere./

[pay one’s respect to]{v. phr.} To discharge one’s social obligations by visiting someone or by calling them on the phone. •/The newly arrived people paid their respects to their various neighbors during their first couple of weeks in town./

[pay one’s way]{v. phr.} 1. To pay in cash or labor for your expenses. •/He paid his way by acting as a guide./ 2. To be profitable; earn as much as you cost someone; be valuable to an employer; to yield a return above expenses. •/The bigger truck paid its way from the start./ •/We had to offer our new manager a large salary, but he was a capable man, and paid his way./ Compare: WORTH ONE’S SALT.

[pay out] See: PAY OFF.

[pay the piper] or [pay the fiddler]{v. phr.} To suffer the results of being foolish; pay or suffer because of your foolish acts or wasting money. •/Bob had spent all his money and got into debt, so now he must pay the piper./ •/Fred had a fight, broke a window, and quarreled with his counselor so now he must pay the fiddler./ Compare: PACE THE MUSIC(2). (From the proverb «He who dances must pay the piper (or the fiddler).»)

[pay through the nose]{v. phr.}, {informal} To pay at a very high rate; pay too much. •/He had wanted experience, but this job seemed like paying through the nose for it./ •/There was a shortage of cars; if you found one for sale, you had to pay through the nose./

[pay up]{v.} To pay in full; pay the amount of; pay what is owed. •/The monthly installments on the car were paid up./ •/He pays his dues up promptly./ •/He gets behind when he is out of work but always pays up when he is working again./

[peace] See: HOLD ONE’S PEACE.

[pearl] See: CAST PEARLS BEFORE SWINE or CAST ONE’S PEARLS BEFORE SWINE.

[pebble] See: NOT THE ONLY PEBBLE ON THE BEACH.

[peck] See: HUNT AND PECK.

[pecking order]{n.} The way people are ranked in relation to each other (for honor, privilege, or power); status classification; hierarchy. •/After the president was in office several months, his staff developed a pecking order./

[pedestal] See: ON A PEDESTAL.

[peel] See: KEEP ONE’S EYES PEELED.

[peel off]{v.} To dive away from a group of airplanes in a flight formation; bring one plane down from a group. •/As the group neared the home base, pilot after pilot peeled off for a landing./

[peeping Tom]{n.} A man or boy who likes sly peeping. •/He was picked up by the police as a peeping Tom./

[peg] See: SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE, TAKE DOWN A PEG.

[peg away]{v.} To work methodically, industriously, or steadily •/Thomson pegged away for years at a shoe repair business./ •/Jones kept pegging away, and finally recognition came./

[pen] See: POISON-PEN, SLIP OF THE PEN.

[penalty box]{n.} A place where penalized hockey players are required to go to wait until the penalty is over. •/Two players got into a fight and were sent to the penalty box for two minutes./

[penny for one’s thoughts] Please tell me what you are thinking about; what’s your daydream. •/«A penny for your thoughts!» he exclaimed./