Текст книги "Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц"

Автор книги: Adam Makkai

Соавторы: Maya Glinberg
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[penny pincher], [penny pinching] See: PINCH PENNIES.

[penny wise and pound foolish] Wise or careful in small things but not careful enough in important things. – A proverb. •/Mr. Smith’s fence is rotting and falling down because he wouldn’t spend money to paint it. He is penny wise and pound foolish./

[pen pal]{n.} A friend who is known to someone through an exchange of letters. •/John’s pen pal writes him letters about school in Alaska./

[people who live in glass houses should not throw stones] Do not complain about other people if you are as bad as they are. – A proverb. •/Mary says that Betty is jealous, but Mary is more jealous herself. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones./

[pep talk]{n.}, {informal} A speech that makes people feel good so they will try harder and not give up. •/The football coach gave the team a pep talk./ •/Mary was worried about her exams, but felt better after the teacher’s pep talk./

[period of grace] See: GRACE PERIOD.

[perish the thought]{v. phr.} Let us not even think of it; may it never come true. – Used as an exclamation. •/If John fails the college entrance exam – perish the thought – he will go back to high school for one more year./ •/Perish the thought that Mary should have cancer./ Compare: GOD FORBID.

[perk up]{v.} To get or give back pep, vigor, health, or spirit; become or make more lively; liven up. •/He perked up quickly after his illness./ •/The rain perked up the flowers wonderfully./

[person] See: IN PERSON.

[pet name]{n. phr.} A special or abbreviated name indicating affection. •/He never calls his wife her real name, «Elizabeth,» but only such pet names as «honey,» «honey bunch,» «sweetheart,» and «sugar.»/

[petard] See: HOIST WITH ONE’S OWN PETARD.

[Peter] See: ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL.

[peter out]{v.}, {informal} To fail or die down gradually; grow less; become exhausted. •/After the factory closed, the town pretty well petered out./ •/The mine once had a rich vein of silver, but it petered out./ •/But as he thought of her, his anger slowly petered out./ Compare: GIVE OUT.

[photo finish]{n. phr.} A close finish in a race of people or animals, where the camera must decide the actual result, sometimes by millimeters. •/The black horse was declared the winner in a photo finish./

[pick] See: BONE TO PICK or CROW TO PICK.

[pick a bone] See: BONE TO PICK.

[pick a fight] See: PICK A QUARREL.

[pick a hole in] or [pick holes in]{v. phr.}, {informal} To find a mistake in or things wrong with; criticize; blame. •/The witness said he had been walking in the moonlight last Sunday, but the lawyer picked a hole in what he said by proving that there was no moon and that it rained Sunday night./ •/Mary is always picking holes in what the other girls do./ Compare: FIND FAULT.

[pick and choose]{v.} To select with much care; choose in a fussy way; take a long time before choosing. •/He was never one to pick and choose./ •/Some people pick and choose to get something perfect, and some just because they can’t make up their minds./

[pick apart] or [pick to pieces]{v. phr.} To criticize harshly; find things wrong with; find fault with. •/After the dance, the girls picked Susan apart./ •/They picked the play to pieces./

[pick a pocket]{v. phr.} To steal by removing from the pocket of another. •/While in the train, somebody picked his pocket and took the last dollar he had./

[pick a/the lock]{v. phr.} To burglarize; open illegally; open a lock without the regular key. •/The robber got into the house by picking the lock./

[pick a quarrel]{v. phr.} To seek the opportunity for a fight or a quarrel. •/When Charlie has too much to drink, he has a tendency to pick a quarrel with whomever happens to be around./ See: PICK A FIGHT.

[pick at]{v.} 1. To reach or grasp for repeatedly. •/The baby kept picking at the coverlet./ 2. To eat without appetite; choose a small piece every little while to eat. •/He picked at his food./ 3. To annoy or bother continually; find fault with. •/They showed their displeasure by continually picking at her./ Syn.: PICK ON.

[pick holes in]{v. phr.} To criticize or find fault with something, such as a speech, a statement, a theory, etc. •/It is easier to pick holes in someone else’s argument than to make a good one yourself./

[pick-me-up]{n. phr.} Something you take when you feel tired or weak. •/John stopped at a drugstore for a pick-me-up after working three hours overtime./ •/Mary always carried a bar of chocolate in her pocketbook for a pick-me-up./

[pickpocket]{n.} A thief; a petty criminal who steals things and money out of people’s pockets on a bus, train, etc. •/In some big cities many poor children become pickpockets out of poverty./

[pick off]{v.} 1. To pull off; remove with the fingers. •/He picked off the burs that had stuck to his overcoat./ 2. To shoot, one at a time; knock down one by one. •/The sniper picked off the slower soldiers as they came out into the road./ 3. To catch a base runner off base by throwing the ball quickly to a fielder who tags him out. •/The pitcher turned around suddenly and threw to the second baseman to pick the runner off second base./ Compare: OFF BASE. 4. To catch and, especially in football, to intercept. •/Alert defenders picked off three of Jack’s passes./

[pick on]{v.} 1. {informal} To make a habit of annoying or bothering (someone); do or say bad things to (someone). •/Other boys picked on him until he decided to fight them./ Syn.: PICK AT(3). 2. To single out; choose; select. •/He visited a lot of colleges, and finally picked on Stanford./

[pick one’s teeth]{v. phr.} To clean one’s teeth with a toothpick. •/It is considered poor manners to pick one’s teeth in public./

[pick one’s way]{v. phr.} To go ahead carefully in difficult or unfamiliar places; advance with care. •/After nightfall we drove slowly along, picking our way until we found the right turn./ •/He picked his way across the rough and rocky hillside./

[pick out]{v.} 1. To choose. •/It took Mary a long time to pick out a dress at the store./ 2. To see among others; recognize; tell from others. •/We could pick out different places in the city from the airplane./ •/We could not pick Bob out in the big crowd./ Syn.: MAKE OUT(2). 3. To find by examining or trying; tell the meaning. •/The box was so dirty we couldn’t pick out the directions on the label./ Compare: FIND OUT.

[pick over]{v.} To select the best of; look at and take what is good from; choose from. •/She picked the apples over and threw out the bad ones./ •/We hurried to the big sale, but we were late and everything had already been picked over./

[pick the brains of]{v. phr.} To get ideas or information about a particular subject by asking an expert. •/If you have time, I’d like to pick your brains about home computers./

[pick to pieces] See: PICK APART, PICK HOLES IN.

[pickup]{n.}, (stress on «pick») 1. A rugged, small truck. •/When he got into the lumber business, Max traded in his comfortable two-door sedan for a pickup./ 2. Scheduled meeting in order to transfer merchandise or stolen goods. •/The pickup goes down at 7 A.M. every day by the loading dock./ •/The dope pushers usually make their pickup on Rush Street./ 3. A person who is easy to persuade to go home with the suitor. •/Sue is said to be an easy pickup./

[pick up]{v.} 1. To take up; lift. •/During the morning Mrs. Carter picked up sticks in the yard./ 2. {informal} To pay for someone else. •/After lunch, in the restaurant, Uncle Bob picked up the check./ 3. To take on or away; receive; get. •/At the next corner the bus stopped and picked up three people./ 4. To get from different places at different times; a little at a time; collect. •/He had picked up rare coins in seaports all over the world./ 5. To get without trying; get accidentally. •/He picked up knowledge of radio just by staying around the radio station./ •/Billy picked up a cold at school./ 6a. To gather together; collect. •/When the carpenter finished making the cabinet, he began picking up his tools./ 6b. To make neat and tidy; tidy up; put in order. •/Pick up your room before Mother sees it./ 6c. To gather things together; tidy a place up. •/It’s almost dinner time, children. Time to pick up and get ready./ 7. To catch the sound of. •/He picked up Chicago on the radio./ 8. To get acquainted with (someone) without an introduction; make friends with (a person of the other sex). •/Mother told Mary not to walk home by herself from the party because some stranger might try to pick her up./ 9. {informal} To take to the police station or jail; arrest. •/Police picked the man up for burglary./ 10. To recognize the trail of a hunted person or animal; find. •/State police picked up the bandit’s trail./ •/The dogs picked up the fox’s smell./ 11. To make (someone) feel better; refresh. •/A little food will pick you up./ 12a. To increase (the speed); make (the speed) faster. •/The teacher told her singing class to pick up the tempo./ •/The car picked up speed./ 12b. To become faster; become livelier. •/The speed of the train began to pick up./ •/After the band practiced for a while, the music began to pick up./ 13. To start again after interruption; go on with. •/The class picked up the story where they had left it before the holiday./ •/They met after five years, and picked up their friendship as if there had been no interruption./ 14. {informal} To become better; recover; gain. •/She picked up in her schoolwork./ •/He picked up gradually after a long illness./ •/His spirits picked up as he came near home./

[pick up the tab]{v. phr.} To pay the bill in a restaurant; be the one who underwrites financially what others are doing. •/«I am always the one who picks up the tab,» Charlie complained bitterly. «Others get away with being freeloaders.»/ Compare: FOOT THE BILL.

[Pidgin English]{n. phr.} A jargon that consists of some mispronounced English words and some foreign words used by Orientals in talking with Westerners. •/You can conduct a lot of business in Pidgin English in the Far East./

[pie] See: EAT HUMBLE PIE, FINGER IN THE PIE, PIE IN THE SKY, SWEETIE PIE.

[piece] See: BY THE PIECE, CONVERSATION PIECE, GIVE A PIECE OF ONE’S MIND, GO TO PIECES, OF A PIECE, PIECE OF CAKE, SAY ONE’S PIECE or SPEAK ONE’S PIECE, TO PIECES.

[piece of cake]{adj.}, {slang} Easy. •/The final exam was a piece of cake./

[piece out]{v.} 1. To put together from many different pieces; put together from odd parts; patch. •/They pieced out a meal from leftovers./ •/He pieced out the machine with scrap parts./ •/The detective pieced out the story from a stray fact here, a clue there, and a hint somewhere else./ 2. To make larger or longer by adding one or more pieces. •/The girl grew so fast that her mother had to piece out her dresses./

[piecework]{n.} Work paid for in accordance with the quantity produced. •/Al prefers working on a piecework basis to being on a regular salary because he feels he makes more that way./

[pie in the sky]{n. phr.}, {informal} An unrealistic wish or hope. •/Our trip to Hawaii is still only a pie in the sky./ Compare: PIPE DREAM.

[pigeonhole]{v.} 1. To set aside; defer consideration of. •/The plan was pigeonholed until the next committee meeting./ 2. To typecast; give a stereotypical characterization to someone. •/It was unfair of the committee to pigeonhole him as a left-wing troublemaker./

[pigeonhole]{n.} 1. Small compartment for internal mail in an office or a department. •/«You can just put your late exam into my pigeonhole,» said Professor Brown to the concerned student./ 2. One of the small compartments in a desk or cabinet. •/He keeps his cufflinks in a pigeonhole in his desk./

[piggy-back]{adj.} or {adv.} Sitting or being carried on the shoulders. •/Little John loved to go for a piggy-back ride on his father’s shoulders./ •/When Mary sprained her ankle, John carried her piggy-back to the doctor./

[piggy bank]{n.} A small bank, sometimes in the shape of a pig, for saving coins. •/John’s father gave him a piggy bank./

[pigheaded]{adj.} Stubborn; unwilling to compromise. •/«Stop being so pigheaded!» she cried. «I, too, can be right sometimes!»/

[pig in a poke]{n. phr.} An unseen bargain; something accepted or bought without looking at it carefully. •/Buying land by mail is buying a pig in a poke: sometimes the land turns out to be under water./

[pig out]{v. phr.} 1. To eat a tremendous amount of food. •/«I always pig out on my birthday,» she confessed./ 2. To peruse; have great fun with; indulge in for a longer period of time. •/«Go to bed and pig out on a good mystery story,» the doctor recommended./

[pile up]{v. phr.} 1. To grow into a big heap. •/He didn’t go into his office for three days and his work kept piling up./ 2. To run aground. •/Boats often pile up on the rocks in the shallow water./ 3. To crash. •/One car made a sudden stop and the two cars behind it piled up./

[pile-up]{n.} 1. A heap; a deposit of one object on top of another. •/There is a huge pile-up of junked cars in this vacant lot./ 2. A large number of objects in the same place, said of traffic. •/I was late because of the traffic pile-up on the highway./

[pill] See: BITTER PILL.

[pillar of society]{n. phr.} A leading figure who contributes to the support and the well-being of his/her society; a person of irreproachable character. •/Mrs. Brown, the director of our classical symphony fund, is a true pillar of society./

[pillar to post] See: FROM PILLAR TO POST.

[pimple] See: GOOSE BUMPS or GOOSE PIMPLES.

[pin] See: ON PINS AND NEEDLES.

[pinch] See: TAKE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT also TAKE WITH A PINCH OF SALT, WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES.

[pinch and scrape]{v. phr.} To save as much money as possible by spending as little as possible. •/They are trying to buy their first house so they are pinching and scraping every penny they can./

[pinch-hit]{v.} 1. To substitute for another player at bat in a baseball game. •/Smith was sent in to pinch-hit for Jones./ 2. {informal} To act for a while, or in an emergency, for another person; take someone’s place for a while. •/I asked him to pinch-hit for me while I was away./ •/The president of the City Council pinch-hits for the mayor when the mayor is out of town./ – [pinch-hitter]{n.} •/Jones was hit by a pitched ball and Smith came in as a pinch-hitter./ •/When our teacher was sick, Mrs. Harris was called as a pinch-hitter./ – [pinch-hitting]{adj.} or {n.} •/Pinch-hitting for another teacher is a hard job./

[pinch pennies]{v. phr.}, {informal} Not spend a penny more than necessary; be very saving or thrifty. •/When Tom and Mary were saving money to buy a house, they had to pinch pennies./ – [penny-pincher]{n.}, {informal} A stingy or selfish person; miser. •/He spent so little money that he began to get the name of a penny-pincher./ – [penny-pinching]{adj.} or {n.}, {informal} •/Bob saved enough money by penny-pinching to buy a bicycle./

[pin curl]{n.} A curl made with a hair clip or bobby pin. •/Mary washed her hair and put it up in pin curls./ •/All the girls had their hair in pin curls to get ready for the party./

[pin down]{v.} 1a. To keep (someone) from moving; make stay in a place or position; trap. •/Mr. Jones' leg was pinned down under the car after the accident./ •/The soldier was pinned down in the hole because rifle bullets were flying over his head./ 1b. To keep (someone) from changing what (he) says or means; make (someone) admit the truth; make (someone) agree to something. •/Mary didn’t like the book but I couldn’t pin her down to say what she didn’t like about it./ •/I tried to pin Bob down to fix my bicycle tomorrow, but he wouldn’t say that he could./ 2. To tell clearly and exactly; explain so that there is no doubt. •/The police tried to pin down the blame for the fire in the school./

[pine away]{v. phr.} To waste away with grief. •/After George was sent abroad, his wife pined away for him so much that she became ill./

[pink] See: IN THE PINK, TICKLE PINK.

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

[pin money]{n. phr.} Extra money used for incidentals. •/She has a regular full-time job but she earns extra pin money by doing a lot of baby-sitting./

[pin one’s ears back]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To beat; defeat. •/After winning three games in a row, the Reds had their ears pinned back by the Blues./ 2. To scold. •/Mrs. Smith pinned Mary’s ears back for not doing her homework./

[pin one’s faith on]{v. phr.} To depend upon; trust. •/We pinned our faith on our home basketball team to win the state finals, and they did!/

[pin one’s heart on one’s sleeve] See: WEAR ONE’S HEART ON ONE’S SLEEVE.

[pint-size]{adj.}, {informal} Very small. •/The new pint-size, portable TV sets have a very clear picture./ •/It was funny to hear a pint-size voice coming out of a great big man./

[pinup girl]{v. phr.} An attractive girl whose picture is pinned or tacked to the wall by an admirer. •/Some Hollywood actresses are understandably very popular pinup girls among male soldiers./

[pipe] See: PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT.

[pipe down]{v.} 1. To call (sailors) away from work with a whistle. •/He piped the men down after boat drill./ 2. {slang} To stop talking; shut up; be quiet. •/«Oh, pipe down,» he called./ – Often considered rude.

[pipe dream]{n.}, {informal} An unrealizable, financially unsound, wishful way of thinking; an unrealistic plan. •/Joe went through the motions of pretending that he wanted to buy that $250,000 house, but his wife candidly told the real estate lady that it was just a pipe dream./ Compare: PIE IN THE SKY.

[piper] See: PAY THE PIPER.

[pipe up]{v.}, {informal} To speak up; to be heard. •/Mary is so shy, everyone was surprised when she piped up with a complaint at the club meeting./ •/Everyone was afraid to talk to the police, but a small child piped up./

[pip-squeak]{n.}, {informal} A small, unimportant person. •/If the club is really democratic, then every little pip-squeak has the right to say what he thinks./ •/When the smallest boy was chosen to be the monitor, the class bully said he would not obey a little pip-squeak./

[piss off]{v.}, {slang}, {vulgar}, {avoidable} To bother; annoy; irritate. •/You really piss me off when you talk like that./ – [pissed off]{adj.} •/Why act so pissed off just because I made a pass at you?/

[pit against]{v.} To match against; oppose to; put in opposition to; place in competition or rivalry with. •/The game pits two of the best pro football teams in the East against each other./ •/He pitted his endurance against the other man’s speed./ •/He was pitted against an opponent just as smart as he was./

[pit-a-pat]{adv.} With a series of quick pats. •/When John asked Mary to marry him, her heart went pit-a-pat./ •/The little boy ran pit-a-pat down the hall./

[pitch] See: WILD PITCH.

[pitch a curve] or [a curve ball]{v. phr.} To catch someone unawares; confront someone with an unexpected event or act. •/My professor pitched me a curve ball when he unexpectedly confronted me with a complicated mathematical equation that was way over my head./

[pitch dark]{adj.} Totally, completely dark. •/A starless and moonless night in the country can be pitch dark./

[pitcher] See: LITTLE PITCHERS HAVE BIG EARS, RELIEF PITCHER, STARTING PITCHER.

[pitchfork] See: RAIN CATS AND DOGS or RAIN PITCHFORKS.

[pitch in]{v.}, {informal} 1. To begin something with much energy; start work eagerly. •/Pitch in and we will finish the job as soon as possible./ 2. To give help or money for something; contribute. •/Everyone must pitch in and work together./ •/We all pitched in a quarter to buy Nancy a present./ Syn.: CHIP IN. Compare: FALL TO.

[pitch into]{v.}, {informal} 1. To attack with blows or words. •/He pitched into me with his fists./ •/He pitched into the idea of raising taxes./ Syn.: LAY INTO(1),(2), RIP INTO. 2. To get to work at; work hard at. •/She pitched into the work and had the house cleaned up by noon./ •/He pitched into his homework right after dinner./ Compare: LAY INTO, SAIL INTO.

[pitch out]{v.} 1. To deliberately throw a pitch outside of the home plate in baseball so that the batter cannot hit the ball and the catcher can make a quick throw. •/The catcher wanted the pitcher to pitch out and see if they could catch the runner stealing./ 2. To toss the ball easily to a football back. •/The quarterback faked to the fullback and pitched out to the halfback going wide./

[pitch woo]{v. phr.}, {slang} To kiss and hug; make love. •/Mary and John pitched woo in the movies./ •/While Bob drove, Betty and Jim sat in the back pitching woo./

[pity] See: TAKE PITY ON or TAKE PITY UPON.

[place] See: HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE, HIGH PLACE, IN PLACE, INSTEAD OF or IN PLACE OF, IN THE FIRST PLACE, JUMPING-OFF PLACE, LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE IN THE SAME PLACE, OUT OF PLACE, PUT IN ONE’S PLACE, PUT ONESELF IN ANOTHER’S PLACE, TAKE PLACE.

[plague on both your houses] or [plague o' both your houses] Bad luck to both of you! – Used to show disgust at those who wont stop quarreling. •/The bus drivers went on strike because the bus company would not raise their pay. After several weeks, the people who needed to ride the bus to work said, «A plague on both your houses.»/

[plain Jane]{n. phr.} A common or simple looking young woman or girl. •/When we were in school, Ann was a plain Jane, but she blossomed out and even won the title of Miss Indiana./

[plain] or [smooth sailing]{n. phr.} An uncomplicated, unhampered, or easy course. •/For a graduate of such a famous university as he was, that assignment was plain sailing./

[plain white wrapper]{n.}, {slang}, {citizen’s band radio jargon} Unmarked police car. •/There’s a plain white wrapper at your rear door!/ See: BROWN PAPER BAG.

[plan] See: LAY AWAY PLAN.

[plank] See: WALK THE PLANK.

[plan on]{v.} 1. To have the plan of; have in mind. – Used with a verbal noun. •/I plan on going to the movies after I finish my homework./ •/Mary was planning on seeing John at the baseball game./ Syn.: FIGURE ON. 2. To think you will do or have; be sure about; expect. •/I’m hoping to go away for the weekend, but I’m not planning on it./ •/We can’t order the food for the party until we know how many people to plan on./ •/We planned on Mary for the decorations, but she is sick./

[plate] See: HOME PLATE.

[platonic love]{n. phr.} Great affection toward another person without sex. •/They are platonic lovers; they do everything together except make love./

[platter] See: HAND SOMETHING TO ONE ON A SILVER PLATTER.

[play] See: ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY, DOUBLE PLAY, FAIR PLAY, FORCE PLAY, GAME AT WHICH TWO CAN PLAY, MAKE A PLAY FOR, TURN ABOUT IS FAIR PLAY.

[play along (with)]{v.} Cooperate; make no trouble. •/The honest jockey refused to play along with the bookmaker’s illegal plan./

[play a part in]{v. phr.} To be instrumental in; have a role in; be concerned with. •/Some First Ladies play a greater part in political life than others./

[play around] See: FOOL AROUND.

[play around with] See: TOY WITH.

[play a waiting game]{v. phr.} To withhold action until one’s chances for success improve. •/Ray would like to be vice president of the company so he is playing a waiting game in the hope that the president will soon recognize his abilities./

[play ball]{v. phr.} 1. To begin play in a ball game. •/When the umpire calls «Play ball,» the game begins./ 2. {informal} To join in an effort with others; cooperate. •/To get along during Prohibition, many men felt that they had to play ball with gangsters./ •/A is often good business to play ball with a political machine./

[play by ear]{v. phr.} 1. To play a musical instrument by remembering the tune, not by reading music. •/Mary does not know how to read music. She plays the piano by ear./ •/Joe doesn’t need any music sheets when he plays his guitar; he knows many songs well and can play them by ear./ 2. {informal} To decide what to do as you go along; to fit the situation. – Used with «it». •/John decided to play it by ear when he went for his interview./ •/It was her first job and she didn’t know what to expect, so we had to play it by ear./

[play cat and mouse with]{v. phr.} To tease or fool (someone) by pretending to let him go free and then catching him again. •/Joe’s uncle had fun playing cat and mouse with him./ •/The policeman decided to play cat and mouse when he saw the woman steal the dress in the store./

[play down]{v.} To give less emphasis to; make (something) seem less important; divert attention from; draw notice away from. •/The newspaper stories played down the actor’s unattractive past./ •/A salesman’s job is to emphasize the good points of his merchandise; he must play down any faults it has./

[played out]{adj. phr.} Tired out; worn out; finished; exhausted. •/It had been a hard day, and by night he was played out./ •/For a while, at least, it seemed the interest in great speed was played out./ Compare: ALL IN.

[play fair]{v. phr.} To do what is right to others; act in a fair and truthful way. •/The boys like the principal because he always plays fair./ •/Mary would not date any other boys while Jim, her favorite boyfriend, was away; she said that would not be playing fair./

[play fast and loose]{v. phr.} To do as you please without caring what will happen to other people; act so carelessly or unfairly that people cannot depend on you; be very unreliable. •/He played fast and loose with the girl’s affections./ •/He played fast and loose with the company’s good name./

[play footsie]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. Touch the feet of a member of the opposite sex under the table as an act of flirtation. •/Have you at least played footsie with her?/ 2. To engage in any sort of flirtation or collaboration, especially in a political situation. •/The mayor was suspected of playing footsie with the Syndicate./

[play for keeps]{v. phr.} To take an action of finality and irreversibility. •/«Are you serious about me?» she asked. «Yes,» he replied. «I want to marry you. I play for keeps.»/

[play hard to get]{v. phr.} To act as if one weren’t interested; be fickle; be coy. •/«Professor Brown is playing very hard to get,» our dean said, «but I know he will accept our offer and come to teach here.»/

[play havoc with] or [raise havoc with]{v. phr.} To cause destruction; ruin; injure badly. •/The storm played havoc with the apple orchard./ •/When Ralph was arrested for stealing the car, it played havoc with his plans for going to college./ •/When Mr. White poisoned the cat, it played havoc with his reputation in the neighborhood./

[play hooky]{v. phr.}, {informal} To stay out of school to play. •/Carl is failing in school because he has played hooky so many times during the year./

[play into one’s hands]{v. phr.} To be or do something that another person can use against you; help an opponent against yourself. •/In the basketball game, Jerry’s foul played into the opponents' hands./ •/Mary and Bobby both wanted the last piece of cake, but Bobby played into Mary’s hands by trying to grab it./

[play off]{v.} 1. To match opposing persons, forces, or interests so that they balance each other. •/The girl played off her admirers against each other./ •/Britain tried to play off European nations against each other so that she would have a balance of power./ 2. To finish the playing of (an interrupted contest.) •/The visitors came back the next Saturday to play off the game stopped by rain./ 3. To settle (a tie score) between contestants by more play. /When each player had won two matches, the championship was decided by playing off the tie./

[play on] or [play upon]{v.} 1. To cause an effect on; influence. •/A heavy diet of television drama played on his feelings./ 2. To work upon for a planned effect; excite to a desired action by cunning plans; manage. •/The makeup salesman played on the woman’s wish to look beautiful./ •/In some places, leaders play upon people’s superstitious fears./ •/He played on the man’s ambition and love of honor./

[play one false]{v. phr.}, {literary} To act disloyally toward (a person); betray; cheat; deceive. •/Good faith was not in him: he played anyone false who trusted him./ •/His hopes had played him false./

[play one for]{v.}, {informal} To treat (someone) as; act toward (someone) as; handle (someone) as; handle as. •/He played the man for a sucker./

[play one’s cards right] or [play one’s cards well]{v. phr.}, {informal} To use abilities and opportunities so as to be successful; act cleverly; make the best use of your place or skills. •/That millionaire started with very little but showed a skill in playing his cards right./ •/People liked Harold, and he played his cards well – and soon he began to get ahead rapidly./

[play ostrich]{v. phr.} To refuse to face painful facts or unpleasant truths. •/She plays ostrich when it comes to her husband’s drinking problem./

[play politics]{v. phr.} To make secret agreements for your own gain; handle different groups for your own advantage. •/In order to get elected, he had to play politics with both the unions and the bosses./ •/Mary always gets what she wants by playing office politics./

[play possum]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To pretend to be asleep. •/Johnny seemed to be fully asleep, but his mother knew that he was playing possum./ 2. To stay quiet for self-protection; try to escape attention by inactivity. •/The rabbit played possum under the bushes, hoping the hunter would not see him./ •/Bob played possum when the teacher looked around./

[play safe] or [play it safe]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be very careful; accept small gains or none to avoid loss; avoid danger for the sake of safety. •/He got tired as the game went on, and began to play safe./ •/Tom didn’t know what the other driver would do, so he played it safe and stopped his own car./

[play second fiddle]{v. phr.}, {informal} To act a smaller part; follow another’s lead; be less noticed. •/His wife had the stronger mind and he played second fiddle to her./ •/During the tournament, lessons played second fiddle to basketball./

[play the devil with] or [play hob with]{v. phr.}, {informal} To cause confusion in; upset. •/Uncle Bob’s unexpected visit played the devil with our own plans to travel./ •/Mother’s illness played hob with our party./