PACE
KEEP PACE:go at the same speed. he cannot keep pace with my plans.
PUT THROUGH ONE'S PACES: discover aperson's knowledge or ability.
SET THE PACE FOR: to go forward at a particular speech which
everyone else has to follow. his experiments set the pace fore future
reserach.
SHOW ONE'S PACES: to show what one can do. the sales manager
was able to show his paces at the sales conference.
PACK
PACK A PUNCH: be able to punch hard. the new heavy weight
champioin packs quite a punch.
PACK LIKE SARDINES:crowded. we were packed like sardines in
the train to delhi.
PACKED OUT: containing as many people as possible. the
theatre meeeting was packed out.
PACK UP: stop working or operating. we'd only gone five km.
when the engine packed up.
PACK OFF: to send off quickly and enceremoniously. he packed
his clerk off in no time.
A PACK OF FOOLS:a group of idiots. they are all pack of fools.
PACK OF LIES: lot of llies. everything he has told you has
been a pack of lies.
PAIN
TO TAKE PAINS:to do something with interest. he has taken
great pains in the completion of his book.
A PAIN IN THE NECK: aperson who is constantly annoying.
people who are always complaining are a pain in the neck.
PAIR
PAIR OFF: to join togethe with one person to make a pair.
the boyd and girld and paird off at the party.
PALM
PALM OFF:is to impose on fraudelently. he tried to palm off
sofa set on me.
PALMY DAYS:prosperous days. in the plamy days he was hospitable.
PALM OFF ON: to get rid of by giving,selling it to. his
carwas always breaking down so he plamed it off on his brother.
PAN
PAN OUT: work out. finally result. his plan did not pan out.
PAPER
ON PAPER:in theory, but not in practise. the idea seemed all
right on paper, but they soon found that it didnot work.
COMMIT TO PAER:write. please commit your point to paer.
PUT PEN TO PAPER: begin to write. i put my pen to paper.
PAR
BELOW PAR:represent the full nominal value of a company
share. the tata shares you mention are below par.
ON A PAR WITH: as good as . i enjoy cooking, but my results
are not on a par with yours.
PARDON
BEG PARDON: to say one is sorry. i have come to beg(your)
pardon for being so rude this morning.
PARROT
PARROT FASHION: as a parrot talks; from memmory. the girl
repeats her prayers parrot fashion.
PART
TO ACT A PART: to pretend. he is not ill really. he is just
acting a part.
PART AND PARCEL:inseparable. bad habits have become part and
parcel of his life.
PART AND PARCEL: necessary part. honesty was the part and
parcel of Gandhiji's character.
TAKE PART: share. please always try to take part in games.
PART COMPANY: go in different dierctions; leave one another.
i will go with you to the end of this street, and then i am afraid so
we shall have to part company.
FOR MY PART:as for as i am concerned. he is very worried ,
but for my part i cannot see anything wrong.
TAKE IN GOOD PART: to accept without being hurt or offended.
he took their jokes in good part.
FOR THE MOST PART: mainly or chiefly. for the most part, the
passengers on the ship were swedes.
PARTHIAN
A PARTHIAN SHOT:a parting retort or sneer. and anyway, your
are onlly a girl! was bill's parthian shop.
PARTIAL
BE PARTIAL TO:like; enjoy. i am partail to duck and great peas.
PASS
IN PASSING:while doing or talking about something else. he
told her the story and said in passing that he did not completely
believe it.
PASS AWAY:to die. hermother passed away last night.
PASS THE TIME OF DAY: make politee remarks when one meets
some one. . i did know him well; when we met, we would just pass the
time of day.
PASS UP:not to accept. he passed up thee offer of a good
job in america to come here.
PASS WATER: void urine. he went to cloak room to pass water.
COME TO PASS:occur. the revolution come to pass after years
of plotting.
PASS OFF AS: pretend ot be . he passsed himself off as a doctor.
PASS OVER: ignore. he shall pass over the first paragraph
and not read it.
PASS BY:pass. he passed by your house yesterday.
PASS OUT: faint. i feel as though i am going to pass out.
PASS INTO: to go into. he passed into her house.
MAKE A PASS: make a threatening movement. the dog, as he
rushed away, made a pass at the man.
PASS FOR:is to have the reputation of, to be regarded as.
the goverment currency notes pass for coin.
PASS ON: is to proceed. let us now pass on to another branch
of our subject.
PASS ONE'S COMPREHENSION: be more than one on understand.
why raj married her passes away comprehension.
PASS A REMARK: make a remark; utter. ramesh passed a remark
about the weather, but his wife was not listening to him.
PASS THROUGH: pass through an experience; to go through
tothe other side. the water passes through the pipe
PASSING
PASSING RICH:more than, mr madan was passing rich on rs5000/- a year.
PAST
PAST MASTER: an expert. he is apast master in the art of love.
PAST ONE'S BEST PART IT: less strong, good efficient etc.
than one was, becuase one is getting order. i used to be quite a good
tennis player, but i am past my best now.
PATCH
PATCH UP A QUARREL: become friendly again; cordially. i hear
that kumar has patched up their quarrel with prakash.
NOT A PATCH ON: not worthy to be compared with. her body is
not a patch on ours.
PATCH UP: to settle. they soon patched up their disagreement.
PATH
CROSS PATH: to be met or noticed casually or accidently by.
i used to see him quite alot , but he hasnot crossed my path at all
recently.
BEAT A PATH TO DOOR: to visit very often or in very large
numbers. she become sofamous that people from all over the world beat
a path to her door.
PATIENCE
THE PATIENCE OF JOB: utmost limits of. he has tried the
patience of job.
OUT OF PATIENCE:with no patience left; exasperated. she
became out of patience with children.
HAVE THE PATIENCE OF JOB: to be extremely patient. to train
animals successfully, you have to have the patience of job.
PAY
PAY UP:pay thefull amount.this bill has been paid up.
PAY IN:credit in a bank account. he paid on one thoudand
rupees yesterday.
PAY FOR: to pay in full. i pay for all i but.
PAY ATTENTION: listen and observe intently and carefully.
please pay attention to your work.
PAY OFF: pay the whole of what is due. he paid off his son's debt.
PASS ONE'S WAY: pay expenses out of one's income. i doubt if
the business will ever pay its way.
PAY ONE'S RESPECTS: go to show one's respectfor someone. all
his friends went to the funeral to pay their last respects.
PAY THROUGH THE NOSE: to pay at a very high rate; pay too
much. he had wanted experience, but this jobseemd like payingthrough
the nose for it.
PAY DOWN:to pay in ready money. he paid down for the new
bicycle and drove it to residence.
TO PAY RESPECT: to show one's defence. please pay my respect
to your father.
IN PAY:employed by;given money to by; use for a bad purpose.
the judge was in the pay of a group of important criminals.
PAY ONE'S WAY: have enough money to pay for the things one
needs.i never earned much money, but i always had enough to pay my
way.
TO PAY A VISIT:to come to meet. i paid him a visit last monday.
THE DEVIL TO PAY: tremendous trouble. if you donot post that
letter to-night, there will be devil to pay.
PAY ONE'S DEBT TO NATURE: die. the old man paid his debt to
nature fifty years ago.
PAY OUT: punish; in return for some injury.you may tell lies
about me, but i will pay you out.
PEACE
KEEP THE PACE: to prevent fighting; quarreling etc. she tries
to keep the peace between her brothers.
MAKE ONE'S PEACE WITH: to reconcile. she has made her peace
with her mother.
HOLD ONE'S PEACE WITH: remain silent. please hold your peace
when a wise man taking.
PEACOCK
AS PROUD AS A PEACOCK: very proud. the child was a proud as
a peacock as she showed me her knitting.
PEARL
TO CAST PEARL BEFORE SWINE: present or introduce something of
value or beauty to those who have neither sense or culture. do not you
thinkitis casting pealrs before swine.
PEG
TO PEG OUT : to die slang. she looks as if she may peg out
any moment.
A ROUND PEG IN A SQUARE HOLE: a person who is in an
unsuitable job. he is round peg in a square hole in that office.
PETTICOAT
PETTICOAT GOVERNMENT:female influence. harish was under his
petticoat government.
PICK
PICK ON:to single out; choose; select. he visited alot of
colleges, and finally picked on standford.
PICK A QUARREL: deliberately start a quarrel. when he is
drunk he goes about picking quarrels with people.
PICK ONE'S WAY: walk deliberately and carefully. theyhad to
pick thier way through the mud.
PICK OUT: to see among others. we could pick out different
places in the city from the airplane.
PICK OF: the choicest. she is the pick of her cleass.
TO PICK A POCKET:to cut a pocket or stealing money. the
pickpocket picked his pocket.
PICK OF A BASKET:selected person or thing . raj is the pick
of basket in our class.
PICK UP: take along in a car. i will pick you up at seven o' clock
PIECE
PIECE OF CAKE:any task easily accomplished for lack of
resistance or challenge. writing a new programme on this computer is a
piece of cake.
GO TO PIECES: deteriorate completely. since her husband's
death,she has gone all to pieces.
ALL OF A PIECES:all part of. her laziness is all of a pieces
with the rest of her character.
PIECE OUT: to supply what is wanting by adding a piece. i
pieced out the cloth and made a part of it.
PICTURE
GET THE PICTURE:to understand the situration. you need not
say any more-i get the picture.
PUT BE IN THE PICTURE: to give; have all the necessary
information . he put me in the picture about what has happen.
PIG
MAKE A PIG OF ONESELF: to eat greedily; to eat too much. i
really made a pig of myself at dinner last night.
MAKE A PIG'S EAR OF: to do badly or clumsily. you really made
a pig's ear of that piece of work.
PIGS MIGHT FLY: expression used to show that one finds some
thing unbelievable. vicky might arrive on time, and pigs might fly.
PILE
MAKE ONE'S PILE: become rich by one's own efforts. he made
his pile selling books.
PILE UP: accumulate. do your work every day, other wise it
will pile up.
PINS
PINS:legs. she was quick on her pins.
PIN FOR: to grieve for; to laughing through desire for. she
pined for your return-"dryden"
PIN DOWN:is to compel; be precise about. he did not like him;
but he cannot pin the reason down.
PINS AND NEEDLES ON: very nervous. he is one pins and needels
about his exam.
PIPE
PIPE UP:to speak; to be heard. rekha is so shy, everyone was
surprised when she piped up with a complain at the club meeting.
IN THE PIPELINE: in preparation; not yet ready. our orders
are still in the pipeline.
:
PIPE DOWN: to stop talking; to quiet. will you pipe down for a moment.
A PIPE DREAM: an idea can only be imagined, and which would
be impossible to carry out. for most people a journey round the world
is only a pipe dream.
PITCH
TO PITCH INTO: to join whole-hertedly; to rush into." go on,
pitch into it, you fellows", he said.
PICH IN:to begin something with much energy;start work
eagerly, pitch in and we will finish the job as soon as possible.
AS BLACK AS PITCH: very dark, it was pouring with rain, and
the night was as black as pitch.
PITCH UPON: is to choose. he has pitched upon a site for his house.
PITY
WHAT A PITY: generall expression of regret. what a pity that
you wonot able to come to the marriage party.
PLACE
TAKE PLACE:happen . the marriage willl take place next month.
IN THE FIRST PLACE: initially. why did you choose to come to
this town in the first place.
TO KNOW ONE'S PLACE: know one's position. many people do not
know their place in life.
PLAN
GO ACCORDING TO PLAN:to happen as arranged or intended. the
journey went according to plan.
PLANK
AS THICK AS TWO SHORT PLANKS: very stupid. she's a pretty
girl, but as thick as two short planks!
PLAIN
PLANIN SPEAKING: saying honestly what one thinks. you must tell
him exactly what you think; the time has come for plain speaking.
PLAIN AS A PIKESTAFF: obvious; unmistakable. there are very
much in love with each other- that is plain as a pikestaff.
PLAIN DEALING: honest and open business methods. all his life
he believed in plain dealing , and practised it.
PLAIN SAILING: very easy; presenting no problems. the first
year of the course is very difficult , but after that it is plain
sailing.
PLAY
PLAY OFF:is to display. you need not attempt to pay off any of
your tricks here.
TO PLAY A DOUBLE GAME: to act openly in one capacity and another
in secret. he warned me to have no dealing with ramesh who is
notorious for playing a double game.
PLAY BY CAR: to play a musical instrument by remebring the tune;
not by reading music. she plays the piano by car.
PLAY DOWN:to give less emphaisis to; make seem less important;
divert attention from. the news paper stories played down the actor's
unattractive past.
TO PLAY ONE'S CARDS: to avail of a chance. unless you are alert,
you will not be able to play your cards.
TO PLAY TRUANT: to run away from the class,to stay from work
without taking leave.you remained unsuccessful simply because you
played traunt too often. kishan often plays traunt and as such he is
in the bad books of the professor.
PLAY DUCKS AND DRAKES WITH:change arround or use to suit oneself.
he was sacked because he was playing duckd and drakes with the
company's money.
PLAY HOOKY: to stay out of school illegally. rakesh is failing
in school becuase he has played hooky so many times during the year.
PLAY ON OR PLAY UPON: to cause an effect on; influence. a heavy
diet of television drama played on his feelings.
PLAY WITH FIRE: to put onese in danger; to take risks. leaving
your door unlocked in new york city playing with fire.
CHILD'S PLAY: extremely easy to perform or solve. this crossword
is mere chil's play.
TO PLAY THE GAME: to be fair to. a real sportsman always plays
the game whether he wins or loses.
TO PLAY SECOND FIDDLE: to play the inferior role. he cannot play
second fiddle.
PLAY OUT: finish.let us play this game out.
PLAY UP TO: try to get one's favour. the new manager is playing
upto the boss.
TO PLAY TRICKS: to try to deceive. please never play tricks with me.
PLAY WITH: to engage in fun with. let him go and play with children.
PLEAD
PLEAD THE CAUSE: help by; speak favourably for. he is here to
plead the cause of many unfortunate people who cannot plead for
themselves.
PLEASE
PLEASE YOURSELF OR SUIT YOURSELF: do what you like. you can
either go to town or stay here; just please your self.
IF YOU PLEASE: please. come this way, if you please.
PLEASED AS PUNCH: extremely pleased. the child has its first
tooth, and the parents are as pleased as punch.
PLEASE ONESELF: do as one desires. i am going home-you can
please yourself.
PLEDGE
PLEDGE ONESELF:make a solemn and formal promise. i pledge
myself to serve the minister faithfully.
TAKE THE PLEDGE: formally undertake never to drink,
intoxicants, wine, spirits, beer, etc.
PLIGHT
PLIGHT ONE'S TRUTH: make a formal promise to marry. they
plighted their truth under the old oak-tree.
PLOUGH
PLOUGH THE WAVES:travel, by sail or otherwise, through the
sea. the greter liner ploughed the waves on her way to london.
PLUCK
PLUCK UP: to have by one's own effort; make oneself have. in
spite of failure, he plucked up heart to continue.
PLUCK DOWN: to demolish suddenly. the earthquake plucked down
my building , within no time.
POCKET
POCKET ONE'S PRIDE:act in a humbly way because it is
necessary. i knew that he could harm my career , so i had to pocket my
pride and apolozise to him.
OUT OF POCKET: become poor. he is out of pocket these days.
TO POCKET AN INSULT: to bear an insult. he had to pocket the insult.
POINT
TO THE POINT: relevant. your answer should be consice and to
the point.
ON THE POINT: about to; on the verge of. he was on the point
of leaving.
POINT OUT: indicate; remind aperson. please point out this
city on the map
TO CARRY ONE'S POINT: to come out successfull in a discussion
or debate. in the debate, chander carried his point.
POINT BLANK: without hesitation. he refused me money point
blank in spite of the fact that i had helped him many times before
that.
POINT UP: to show clearly; emphasize. the increase in crime
point up the need for greater police protection.
BE BESIDE THE POINT: to have no direct connection with, or to
be unimportant to. you will have to go. whether you want to go is
beside the point.
A MOON POINT: a point; argument. the precise centre of india
is a moon point.
POINT OF VIEW: personal opinion or aspect. from the smoker's
point of view the tobacco tax is too high.
UP TO THE POINT: to a certain extent but not completely. your
statement is true upto a point.
MAKE ONE'S POINT: to state an opinion etc. so clearly and
persuasively that it has been understood and accepted . you are made
your point - we will do what you suggest.
IN POINT OF FACT: actually; in reality. he says he can rise,
but in point of fact he has never been on a horse before.
TO MAKE A POINT: to consider it essential. i will make a point
of telling him of your ambitions.
STRETCH A POINT: concede a certain amount. the landlord is
willing to stretch a point, and allow us to stay another month.
POISON
A POISON PEN LETTER:an anonymous letter saing wicked things
about a certain person etc. when she began to get poison pen letters,
she informed the police.
POKE
POKE FUN AT: to laugh unkindly at. the childtren often poked fun
at him because of his stammer.
POKER
AS STIFF AS A POKER: very stiff. on frostuy days the cloths
line is as stiff as pocker.
POLE
POLE TO POLE: from the north to the south pole; all over the
world. english is spoken from pole to pole.
BE POLES APART: to be as different or as far apart as possible.
they are poles apart in their attitude to education.
UP THE POLE: in difficulties. we'll be really up the pole if he
does not get back in time.
POLISH
POLISH OFF:finish quickly. he can polish off the job in five minutes.
POLISH UP: improve. polish up your english.
POP
POP UP: to appear. i never know where he will pop uo next.
POT
A POT SHOT: an easy or causal shot does not need careful aim. he
book a pot shot at a bird on the fence.
POT BELLEY: fat man. be off my eyes i donot want to see your pot belly.
TO GO TO POT: ruined. he had gone to pot.
A BIG POT: an important person; leader of his class. mohan is a
big pot in our class.
POST
AS DEAF AS A POST: very deaf. my father won't hear us-he is as
deaf as a post.
KEEP POSTED: to give regular information to. he always keeps me
posted about what he is doing.
:
PRAYER
PAST PRAYING FOR: impossible to alter; to repair or to
improve. this old shoes is past praying far.
PRESS
BE PRESSED FOR: to be short of. do hurry up- i am bit pressed for time.
PRESS ON: to urge to accept. she pressed the money on him.
PRESSURE
A PRESSURE GROUP: a group of people who try toget the
government to take notice of certain matters. the local teachers
formed a pressure group.
BRING PRESSURE TO BEAR ON: to try to force to do something.
they brought pressure to bear on the goverment to lower taxes.
PRETTY
PRETTY PENNY: a large amount of money. that car must have
cost you a pretty penny.
PRETTY WELL: is however, also used as almost. uncle will be
coming soon- he has pretty well finish his dinner.
PRETTY GOOD: moderately; comparatively. father has pretty
good health, considering his age.
A PRETTY PASS: a bad state or condition. things have come to
a pretty pass when you cannot trust your friends.
PREVAIL
PREVAIL ON: persuade. she prevailed on her husband to attend
the fashion show.
PREY
PREY TO: victim of. i am usually prey to any colds or chills
that happen tobe going round.
PREY ON/UPON MIND: to cause distress or unhappiness to.
fears preyed upon her mind.
PRICE
AT A PRICE: at a high price. we can get dinner at this
hotel- at a price.
BEYOND PRICE: priceless. good health is beyond price.
PRISON
COMMIT TO PRISON: formally order tobe sent to prison. the
judge committed him to prison for six months.
PROBABILITY
IN ALL PROBABILITY: very probably; very likely. in all
probability, he will pass the exam.
PROGRESS
IN PROGRESS: being done or undertaken. the road is in progress.
PROVIDED
PROVIDED THAT: on condition. i will give you that post
provided that you pass the M.A examination.
PUFF
PUFFED OUT: ehauasted and out of breath. she puffed out by the
time she reached the top of the stairs.
PULL
PULL ONE'S LEG: to play joke. she tried to pull my leg.
PULL DOWN: to demolish. this house being very old should be
pulled down.
PULL UP: stop. the train pulled up at nasik.
PULL OUT: leave. he pulled out of the job.
TO PULL A LONG FACE: to feel sad. after having been declared
unsuccessful , he pulled a long face.
PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS: try one's hardest; to do everything
one can. they pulled out all the stops to make the party success.
PULL OVER: to drive to the side of the roade and stop. the
police man told the speeder to pullover.
PULL THE PLUG ON: to expose the secret activites. the citizens,
committee pulled the plug on the mayor, and he lost the election.
PULL OF:to succeed in doing. he is pulled off a good business deal.
PULL UP: to stop. he pulled up at the traffic light.
TO PULL THROUGH: to recover. the patient pulled through the deisease.
TO PULL WIRES: to do something secretly. wise people often pull
the wires from behind the scene.
TO PULL ON: to live. it is really difficult to pull on decently
in a meagre income.
TO PULL ABOUT: to treat roughly. the child was pulled aboubt.
PULL TOGETHER:work together unitedly. if we pull together, success
is certain.
PULL OF: is to separate by pulling. he pulled off his coat and began to work.
TO PULL ONE'S WEIGHT: to share the work equally. team work means
that everybody pulls his weight.
TO PULL WELL WITH: to act together in harmony to unite efforts. the
directors of this company do not pull well together.
PULSE
KEEP ONE'S FINGER ON THE PULSE: to keep oneself informed about
modern ideas, events. he has retired from the firm now, but he still
likes to keep his finger on the pulse.
PUNCH
A PUNCH UP: a fight. they had a punch-up with police.
AS PLEASED AS PUNCH: very happy or pleased. he was as pleased
as punch when we all said how good his cooking was.
PURE
PURE AND SIMPLE: noting but. it was an accident pure and simple.
PURPOSE
TO NO PURPOSE:uselessly without success,useless.this will
serve no purpose in my case. he tried his best to pass the examination
but to no purpose.
TO THE PURPOSE: relevant; to the point. his reply was not
really to the purpose.
SEVRVE A PURPOSE: to be useful in some way. keep that bag- it
may serve a purpose.
TO GOOD/SOME PURPOSE: with useful results. he did the job to
good purpose.
PUSH
PUSH AROUND: to be bossy with. do not try to push me around.
PUSH DOWN: is to overthrow by pushing. the bullock pushed the
child down.
PUSH OFF: is to move away. he pushed off from the shore lamb.
PUT
PUT OUT: extinguish. please put out the lamp.
TO PUT UP WITH: to stay, to tolerate. she is putting her
father-in-law.
TO PUT OFF: to postpone. never put off till tomorrow what you
can do today --proverb.
PUT IN : to insert, to introduce among others. she talked so
fast that i could not put in a word.
PUT ON: wear. put on your clothes.
PUT AN END TO : stop. i am going to put an end to thier bad behaviour.
PUT A DAMPER ON:keep under control. the fact that the
headmaster was there tended to put a damper on the party.
PUT ACROSS: to explain clearly. he knew how to put his ideas across.
PUT ABOUT:worried; anxioius. she was put about by the news she
received from delhi.
PUT DOWN:write. please put his phone number.
PUT BY:save. i am putting some money by for the holiday.
PUT UP FOR SALE : offer to sell. put his car up for sale.
PUT FORTH: announced. it was put forth that the king was only
slightly ill.
TO PUT INTo PRACTICE: to carry out into action. your advice is
rather difficult to put into practise.
PUT BACK: to restore to the original place. put back this book in
the place where you got it.
PUT FORWARD: to move forward, so as to make the clock show a later
hour. my watch was slow and i have put it forward to the correct time.
TO PUT A KNIFE INTO:stab. he put a knife into his friend.
PUT UPON: impose upon. sheels is go good natured that her friends
constantly put upon her.
:
PUT UP AT: live at temporarily. i put up at the hotel when i come
to the city.
PUT THE BITE ON: to ask. rakesh put the bite on his friend for
several tickets to the dance.
PUT SOMEONE WISE: give someone advice or information. i must put
you wise about rakesh: he is not tobe trusted with money.
PUT OUT OF THE WAY: kill, to get rid of someone.the robbers said
that if i gave them any trouble, they would put me out of the way.
PUT AWAY: to put in a mental hospital. he had to put his wife away
when she become mentally ill.
PUT TO DEATH:to kill. he was put to death by robbers.
KEEP PACE:go at the same speed. he cannot keep pace with my plans.
PUT THROUGH ONE'S PACES: discover aperson's knowledge or ability.
SET THE PACE FOR: to go forward at a particular speech which
everyone else has to follow. his experiments set the pace fore future
reserach.
SHOW ONE'S PACES: to show what one can do. the sales manager
was able to show his paces at the sales conference.
PACK
PACK A PUNCH: be able to punch hard. the new heavy weight
champioin packs quite a punch.
PACK LIKE SARDINES:crowded. we were packed like sardines in
the train to delhi.
PACKED OUT: containing as many people as possible. the
theatre meeeting was packed out.
PACK UP: stop working or operating. we'd only gone five km.
when the engine packed up.
PACK OFF: to send off quickly and enceremoniously. he packed
his clerk off in no time.
A PACK OF FOOLS:a group of idiots. they are all pack of fools.
PACK OF LIES: lot of llies. everything he has told you has
been a pack of lies.
PAIN
TO TAKE PAINS:to do something with interest. he has taken
great pains in the completion of his book.
A PAIN IN THE NECK: aperson who is constantly annoying.
people who are always complaining are a pain in the neck.
PAIR
PAIR OFF: to join togethe with one person to make a pair.
the boyd and girld and paird off at the party.
PALM
PALM OFF:is to impose on fraudelently. he tried to palm off
sofa set on me.
PALMY DAYS:prosperous days. in the plamy days he was hospitable.
PALM OFF ON: to get rid of by giving,selling it to. his
carwas always breaking down so he plamed it off on his brother.
PAN
PAN OUT: work out. finally result. his plan did not pan out.
PAPER
ON PAPER:in theory, but not in practise. the idea seemed all
right on paper, but they soon found that it didnot work.
COMMIT TO PAER:write. please commit your point to paer.
PUT PEN TO PAPER: begin to write. i put my pen to paper.
PAR
BELOW PAR:represent the full nominal value of a company
share. the tata shares you mention are below par.
ON A PAR WITH: as good as . i enjoy cooking, but my results
are not on a par with yours.
PARDON
BEG PARDON: to say one is sorry. i have come to beg(your)
pardon for being so rude this morning.
PARROT
PARROT FASHION: as a parrot talks; from memmory. the girl
repeats her prayers parrot fashion.
PART
TO ACT A PART: to pretend. he is not ill really. he is just
acting a part.
PART AND PARCEL:inseparable. bad habits have become part and
parcel of his life.
PART AND PARCEL: necessary part. honesty was the part and
parcel of Gandhiji's character.
TAKE PART: share. please always try to take part in games.
PART COMPANY: go in different dierctions; leave one another.
i will go with you to the end of this street, and then i am afraid so
we shall have to part company.
FOR MY PART:as for as i am concerned. he is very worried ,
but for my part i cannot see anything wrong.
TAKE IN GOOD PART: to accept without being hurt or offended.
he took their jokes in good part.
FOR THE MOST PART: mainly or chiefly. for the most part, the
passengers on the ship were swedes.
PARTHIAN
A PARTHIAN SHOT:a parting retort or sneer. and anyway, your
are onlly a girl! was bill's parthian shop.
PARTIAL
BE PARTIAL TO:like; enjoy. i am partail to duck and great peas.
PASS
IN PASSING:while doing or talking about something else. he
told her the story and said in passing that he did not completely
believe it.
PASS AWAY:to die. hermother passed away last night.
PASS THE TIME OF DAY: make politee remarks when one meets
some one. . i did know him well; when we met, we would just pass the
time of day.
PASS UP:not to accept. he passed up thee offer of a good
job in america to come here.
PASS WATER: void urine. he went to cloak room to pass water.
COME TO PASS:occur. the revolution come to pass after years
of plotting.
PASS OFF AS: pretend ot be . he passsed himself off as a doctor.
PASS OVER: ignore. he shall pass over the first paragraph
and not read it.
PASS BY:pass. he passed by your house yesterday.
PASS OUT: faint. i feel as though i am going to pass out.
PASS INTO: to go into. he passed into her house.
MAKE A PASS: make a threatening movement. the dog, as he
rushed away, made a pass at the man.
PASS FOR:is to have the reputation of, to be regarded as.
the goverment currency notes pass for coin.
PASS ON: is to proceed. let us now pass on to another branch
of our subject.
PASS ONE'S COMPREHENSION: be more than one on understand.
why raj married her passes away comprehension.
PASS A REMARK: make a remark; utter. ramesh passed a remark
about the weather, but his wife was not listening to him.
PASS THROUGH: pass through an experience; to go through
tothe other side. the water passes through the pipe
PASSING
PASSING RICH:more than, mr madan was passing rich on rs5000/- a year.
PAST
PAST MASTER: an expert. he is apast master in the art of love.
PAST ONE'S BEST PART IT: less strong, good efficient etc.
than one was, becuase one is getting order. i used to be quite a good
tennis player, but i am past my best now.
PATCH
PATCH UP A QUARREL: become friendly again; cordially. i hear
that kumar has patched up their quarrel with prakash.
NOT A PATCH ON: not worthy to be compared with. her body is
not a patch on ours.
PATCH UP: to settle. they soon patched up their disagreement.
PATH
CROSS PATH: to be met or noticed casually or accidently by.
i used to see him quite alot , but he hasnot crossed my path at all
recently.
BEAT A PATH TO DOOR: to visit very often or in very large
numbers. she become sofamous that people from all over the world beat
a path to her door.
PATIENCE
THE PATIENCE OF JOB: utmost limits of. he has tried the
patience of job.
OUT OF PATIENCE:with no patience left; exasperated. she
became out of patience with children.
HAVE THE PATIENCE OF JOB: to be extremely patient. to train
animals successfully, you have to have the patience of job.
PAY
PAY UP:pay thefull amount.this bill has been paid up.
PAY IN:credit in a bank account. he paid on one thoudand
rupees yesterday.
PAY FOR: to pay in full. i pay for all i but.
PAY ATTENTION: listen and observe intently and carefully.
please pay attention to your work.
PAY OFF: pay the whole of what is due. he paid off his son's debt.
PASS ONE'S WAY: pay expenses out of one's income. i doubt if
the business will ever pay its way.
PAY ONE'S RESPECTS: go to show one's respectfor someone. all
his friends went to the funeral to pay their last respects.
PAY THROUGH THE NOSE: to pay at a very high rate; pay too
much. he had wanted experience, but this jobseemd like payingthrough
the nose for it.
PAY DOWN:to pay in ready money. he paid down for the new
bicycle and drove it to residence.
TO PAY RESPECT: to show one's defence. please pay my respect
to your father.
IN PAY:employed by;given money to by; use for a bad purpose.
the judge was in the pay of a group of important criminals.
PAY ONE'S WAY: have enough money to pay for the things one
needs.i never earned much money, but i always had enough to pay my
way.
TO PAY A VISIT:to come to meet. i paid him a visit last monday.
THE DEVIL TO PAY: tremendous trouble. if you donot post that
letter to-night, there will be devil to pay.
PAY ONE'S DEBT TO NATURE: die. the old man paid his debt to
nature fifty years ago.
PAY OUT: punish; in return for some injury.you may tell lies
about me, but i will pay you out.
PEACE
KEEP THE PACE: to prevent fighting; quarreling etc. she tries
to keep the peace between her brothers.
MAKE ONE'S PEACE WITH: to reconcile. she has made her peace
with her mother.
HOLD ONE'S PEACE WITH: remain silent. please hold your peace
when a wise man taking.
PEACOCK
AS PROUD AS A PEACOCK: very proud. the child was a proud as
a peacock as she showed me her knitting.
PEARL
TO CAST PEARL BEFORE SWINE: present or introduce something of
value or beauty to those who have neither sense or culture. do not you
thinkitis casting pealrs before swine.
PEG
TO PEG OUT : to die slang. she looks as if she may peg out
any moment.
A ROUND PEG IN A SQUARE HOLE: a person who is in an
unsuitable job. he is round peg in a square hole in that office.
PETTICOAT
PETTICOAT GOVERNMENT:female influence. harish was under his
petticoat government.
PICK
PICK ON:to single out; choose; select. he visited alot of
colleges, and finally picked on standford.
PICK A QUARREL: deliberately start a quarrel. when he is
drunk he goes about picking quarrels with people.
PICK ONE'S WAY: walk deliberately and carefully. theyhad to
pick thier way through the mud.
PICK OUT: to see among others. we could pick out different
places in the city from the airplane.
PICK OF: the choicest. she is the pick of her cleass.
TO PICK A POCKET:to cut a pocket or stealing money. the
pickpocket picked his pocket.
PICK OF A BASKET:selected person or thing . raj is the pick
of basket in our class.
PICK UP: take along in a car. i will pick you up at seven o' clock
PIECE
PIECE OF CAKE:any task easily accomplished for lack of
resistance or challenge. writing a new programme on this computer is a
piece of cake.
GO TO PIECES: deteriorate completely. since her husband's
death,she has gone all to pieces.
ALL OF A PIECES:all part of. her laziness is all of a pieces
with the rest of her character.
PIECE OUT: to supply what is wanting by adding a piece. i
pieced out the cloth and made a part of it.
PICTURE
GET THE PICTURE:to understand the situration. you need not
say any more-i get the picture.
PUT BE IN THE PICTURE: to give; have all the necessary
information . he put me in the picture about what has happen.
PIG
MAKE A PIG OF ONESELF: to eat greedily; to eat too much. i
really made a pig of myself at dinner last night.
MAKE A PIG'S EAR OF: to do badly or clumsily. you really made
a pig's ear of that piece of work.
PIGS MIGHT FLY: expression used to show that one finds some
thing unbelievable. vicky might arrive on time, and pigs might fly.
PILE
MAKE ONE'S PILE: become rich by one's own efforts. he made
his pile selling books.
PILE UP: accumulate. do your work every day, other wise it
will pile up.
PINS
PINS:legs. she was quick on her pins.
PIN FOR: to grieve for; to laughing through desire for. she
pined for your return-"dryden"
PIN DOWN:is to compel; be precise about. he did not like him;
but he cannot pin the reason down.
PINS AND NEEDLES ON: very nervous. he is one pins and needels
about his exam.
PIPE
PIPE UP:to speak; to be heard. rekha is so shy, everyone was
surprised when she piped up with a complain at the club meeting.
IN THE PIPELINE: in preparation; not yet ready. our orders
are still in the pipeline.
:
PIPE DOWN: to stop talking; to quiet. will you pipe down for a moment.
A PIPE DREAM: an idea can only be imagined, and which would
be impossible to carry out. for most people a journey round the world
is only a pipe dream.
PITCH
TO PITCH INTO: to join whole-hertedly; to rush into." go on,
pitch into it, you fellows", he said.
PICH IN:to begin something with much energy;start work
eagerly, pitch in and we will finish the job as soon as possible.
AS BLACK AS PITCH: very dark, it was pouring with rain, and
the night was as black as pitch.
PITCH UPON: is to choose. he has pitched upon a site for his house.
PITY
WHAT A PITY: generall expression of regret. what a pity that
you wonot able to come to the marriage party.
PLACE
TAKE PLACE:happen . the marriage willl take place next month.
IN THE FIRST PLACE: initially. why did you choose to come to
this town in the first place.
TO KNOW ONE'S PLACE: know one's position. many people do not
know their place in life.
PLAN
GO ACCORDING TO PLAN:to happen as arranged or intended. the
journey went according to plan.
PLANK
AS THICK AS TWO SHORT PLANKS: very stupid. she's a pretty
girl, but as thick as two short planks!
PLAIN
PLANIN SPEAKING: saying honestly what one thinks. you must tell
him exactly what you think; the time has come for plain speaking.
PLAIN AS A PIKESTAFF: obvious; unmistakable. there are very
much in love with each other- that is plain as a pikestaff.
PLAIN DEALING: honest and open business methods. all his life
he believed in plain dealing , and practised it.
PLAIN SAILING: very easy; presenting no problems. the first
year of the course is very difficult , but after that it is plain
sailing.
PLAY
PLAY OFF:is to display. you need not attempt to pay off any of
your tricks here.
TO PLAY A DOUBLE GAME: to act openly in one capacity and another
in secret. he warned me to have no dealing with ramesh who is
notorious for playing a double game.
PLAY BY CAR: to play a musical instrument by remebring the tune;
not by reading music. she plays the piano by car.
PLAY DOWN:to give less emphaisis to; make seem less important;
divert attention from. the news paper stories played down the actor's
unattractive past.
TO PLAY ONE'S CARDS: to avail of a chance. unless you are alert,
you will not be able to play your cards.
TO PLAY TRUANT: to run away from the class,to stay from work
without taking leave.you remained unsuccessful simply because you
played traunt too often. kishan often plays traunt and as such he is
in the bad books of the professor.
PLAY DUCKS AND DRAKES WITH:change arround or use to suit oneself.
he was sacked because he was playing duckd and drakes with the
company's money.
PLAY HOOKY: to stay out of school illegally. rakesh is failing
in school becuase he has played hooky so many times during the year.
PLAY ON OR PLAY UPON: to cause an effect on; influence. a heavy
diet of television drama played on his feelings.
PLAY WITH FIRE: to put onese in danger; to take risks. leaving
your door unlocked in new york city playing with fire.
CHILD'S PLAY: extremely easy to perform or solve. this crossword
is mere chil's play.
TO PLAY THE GAME: to be fair to. a real sportsman always plays
the game whether he wins or loses.
TO PLAY SECOND FIDDLE: to play the inferior role. he cannot play
second fiddle.
PLAY OUT: finish.let us play this game out.
PLAY UP TO: try to get one's favour. the new manager is playing
upto the boss.
TO PLAY TRICKS: to try to deceive. please never play tricks with me.
PLAY WITH: to engage in fun with. let him go and play with children.
PLEAD
PLEAD THE CAUSE: help by; speak favourably for. he is here to
plead the cause of many unfortunate people who cannot plead for
themselves.
PLEASE
PLEASE YOURSELF OR SUIT YOURSELF: do what you like. you can
either go to town or stay here; just please your self.
IF YOU PLEASE: please. come this way, if you please.
PLEASED AS PUNCH: extremely pleased. the child has its first
tooth, and the parents are as pleased as punch.
PLEASE ONESELF: do as one desires. i am going home-you can
please yourself.
PLEDGE
PLEDGE ONESELF:make a solemn and formal promise. i pledge
myself to serve the minister faithfully.
TAKE THE PLEDGE: formally undertake never to drink,
intoxicants, wine, spirits, beer, etc.
PLIGHT
PLIGHT ONE'S TRUTH: make a formal promise to marry. they
plighted their truth under the old oak-tree.
PLOUGH
PLOUGH THE WAVES:travel, by sail or otherwise, through the
sea. the greter liner ploughed the waves on her way to london.
PLUCK
PLUCK UP: to have by one's own effort; make oneself have. in
spite of failure, he plucked up heart to continue.
PLUCK DOWN: to demolish suddenly. the earthquake plucked down
my building , within no time.
POCKET ONE'S PRIDE:act in a humbly way because it is
necessary. i knew that he could harm my career , so i had to pocket my
pride and apolozise to him.
OUT OF POCKET: become poor. he is out of pocket these days.
TO POCKET AN INSULT: to bear an insult. he had to pocket the insult.
POINT
TO THE POINT: relevant. your answer should be consice and to
the point.
ON THE POINT: about to; on the verge of. he was on the point
of leaving.
POINT OUT: indicate; remind aperson. please point out this
city on the map
TO CARRY ONE'S POINT: to come out successfull in a discussion
or debate. in the debate, chander carried his point.
POINT BLANK: without hesitation. he refused me money point
blank in spite of the fact that i had helped him many times before
that.
POINT UP: to show clearly; emphasize. the increase in crime
point up the need for greater police protection.
BE BESIDE THE POINT: to have no direct connection with, or to
be unimportant to. you will have to go. whether you want to go is
beside the point.
A MOON POINT: a point; argument. the precise centre of india
is a moon point.
POINT OF VIEW: personal opinion or aspect. from the smoker's
point of view the tobacco tax is too high.
UP TO THE POINT: to a certain extent but not completely. your
statement is true upto a point.
MAKE ONE'S POINT: to state an opinion etc. so clearly and
persuasively that it has been understood and accepted . you are made
your point - we will do what you suggest.
IN POINT OF FACT: actually; in reality. he says he can rise,
but in point of fact he has never been on a horse before.
TO MAKE A POINT: to consider it essential. i will make a point
of telling him of your ambitions.
STRETCH A POINT: concede a certain amount. the landlord is
willing to stretch a point, and allow us to stay another month.
POISON
A POISON PEN LETTER:an anonymous letter saing wicked things
about a certain person etc. when she began to get poison pen letters,
she informed the police.
POKE
POKE FUN AT: to laugh unkindly at. the childtren often poked fun
at him because of his stammer.
POKER
AS STIFF AS A POKER: very stiff. on frostuy days the cloths
line is as stiff as pocker.
POLE
POLE TO POLE: from the north to the south pole; all over the
world. english is spoken from pole to pole.
BE POLES APART: to be as different or as far apart as possible.
they are poles apart in their attitude to education.
UP THE POLE: in difficulties. we'll be really up the pole if he
does not get back in time.
POLISH
POLISH OFF:finish quickly. he can polish off the job in five minutes.
POLISH UP: improve. polish up your english.
POP
POP UP: to appear. i never know where he will pop uo next.
POT
A POT SHOT: an easy or causal shot does not need careful aim. he
book a pot shot at a bird on the fence.
POT BELLEY: fat man. be off my eyes i donot want to see your pot belly.
TO GO TO POT: ruined. he had gone to pot.
A BIG POT: an important person; leader of his class. mohan is a
big pot in our class.
POST
AS DEAF AS A POST: very deaf. my father won't hear us-he is as
deaf as a post.
KEEP POSTED: to give regular information to. he always keeps me
posted about what he is doing.
:
PRAYER
PAST PRAYING FOR: impossible to alter; to repair or to
improve. this old shoes is past praying far.
PRESS
BE PRESSED FOR: to be short of. do hurry up- i am bit pressed for time.
PRESS ON: to urge to accept. she pressed the money on him.
PRESSURE
A PRESSURE GROUP: a group of people who try toget the
government to take notice of certain matters. the local teachers
formed a pressure group.
BRING PRESSURE TO BEAR ON: to try to force to do something.
they brought pressure to bear on the goverment to lower taxes.
PRETTY
PRETTY PENNY: a large amount of money. that car must have
cost you a pretty penny.
PRETTY WELL: is however, also used as almost. uncle will be
coming soon- he has pretty well finish his dinner.
PRETTY GOOD: moderately; comparatively. father has pretty
good health, considering his age.
A PRETTY PASS: a bad state or condition. things have come to
a pretty pass when you cannot trust your friends.
PREVAIL
PREVAIL ON: persuade. she prevailed on her husband to attend
the fashion show.
PREY
PREY TO: victim of. i am usually prey to any colds or chills
that happen tobe going round.
PREY ON/UPON MIND: to cause distress or unhappiness to.
fears preyed upon her mind.
PRICE
AT A PRICE: at a high price. we can get dinner at this
hotel- at a price.
BEYOND PRICE: priceless. good health is beyond price.
PRISON
COMMIT TO PRISON: formally order tobe sent to prison. the
judge committed him to prison for six months.
PROBABILITY
IN ALL PROBABILITY: very probably; very likely. in all
probability, he will pass the exam.
PROGRESS
IN PROGRESS: being done or undertaken. the road is in progress.
PROVIDED
PROVIDED THAT: on condition. i will give you that post
provided that you pass the M.A examination.
PUFF
PUFFED OUT: ehauasted and out of breath. she puffed out by the
time she reached the top of the stairs.
PULL
PULL ONE'S LEG: to play joke. she tried to pull my leg.
PULL DOWN: to demolish. this house being very old should be
pulled down.
PULL UP: stop. the train pulled up at nasik.
PULL OUT: leave. he pulled out of the job.
TO PULL A LONG FACE: to feel sad. after having been declared
unsuccessful , he pulled a long face.
PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS: try one's hardest; to do everything
one can. they pulled out all the stops to make the party success.
PULL OVER: to drive to the side of the roade and stop. the
police man told the speeder to pullover.
PULL THE PLUG ON: to expose the secret activites. the citizens,
committee pulled the plug on the mayor, and he lost the election.
PULL OF:to succeed in doing. he is pulled off a good business deal.
PULL UP: to stop. he pulled up at the traffic light.
TO PULL THROUGH: to recover. the patient pulled through the deisease.
TO PULL WIRES: to do something secretly. wise people often pull
the wires from behind the scene.
TO PULL ON: to live. it is really difficult to pull on decently
in a meagre income.
TO PULL ABOUT: to treat roughly. the child was pulled aboubt.
PULL TOGETHER:work together unitedly. if we pull together, success
is certain.
PULL OF: is to separate by pulling. he pulled off his coat and began to work.
TO PULL ONE'S WEIGHT: to share the work equally. team work means
that everybody pulls his weight.
TO PULL WELL WITH: to act together in harmony to unite efforts. the
directors of this company do not pull well together.
PULSE
KEEP ONE'S FINGER ON THE PULSE: to keep oneself informed about
modern ideas, events. he has retired from the firm now, but he still
likes to keep his finger on the pulse.
PUNCH
A PUNCH UP: a fight. they had a punch-up with police.
AS PLEASED AS PUNCH: very happy or pleased. he was as pleased
as punch when we all said how good his cooking was.
PURE
PURE AND SIMPLE: noting but. it was an accident pure and simple.
PURPOSE
TO NO PURPOSE:uselessly without success,useless.this will
serve no purpose in my case. he tried his best to pass the examination
but to no purpose.
TO THE PURPOSE: relevant; to the point. his reply was not
really to the purpose.
SEVRVE A PURPOSE: to be useful in some way. keep that bag- it
may serve a purpose.
TO GOOD/SOME PURPOSE: with useful results. he did the job to
good purpose.
PUSH
PUSH AROUND: to be bossy with. do not try to push me around.
PUSH DOWN: is to overthrow by pushing. the bullock pushed the
child down.
PUSH OFF: is to move away. he pushed off from the shore lamb.
PUT
PUT OUT: extinguish. please put out the lamp.
TO PUT UP WITH: to stay, to tolerate. she is putting her
father-in-law.
TO PUT OFF: to postpone. never put off till tomorrow what you
can do today --proverb.
PUT IN : to insert, to introduce among others. she talked so
fast that i could not put in a word.
PUT ON: wear. put on your clothes.
PUT AN END TO : stop. i am going to put an end to thier bad behaviour.
PUT A DAMPER ON:keep under control. the fact that the
headmaster was there tended to put a damper on the party.
PUT ACROSS: to explain clearly. he knew how to put his ideas across.
PUT ABOUT:worried; anxioius. she was put about by the news she
received from delhi.
PUT DOWN:write. please put his phone number.
PUT BY:save. i am putting some money by for the holiday.
PUT UP FOR SALE : offer to sell. put his car up for sale.
PUT FORTH: announced. it was put forth that the king was only
slightly ill.
TO PUT INTo PRACTICE: to carry out into action. your advice is
rather difficult to put into practise.
PUT BACK: to restore to the original place. put back this book in
the place where you got it.
PUT FORWARD: to move forward, so as to make the clock show a later
hour. my watch was slow and i have put it forward to the correct time.
TO PUT A KNIFE INTO:stab. he put a knife into his friend.
PUT UPON: impose upon. sheels is go good natured that her friends
constantly put upon her.
:
PUT UP AT: live at temporarily. i put up at the hotel when i come
to the city.
PUT THE BITE ON: to ask. rakesh put the bite on his friend for
several tickets to the dance.
PUT SOMEONE WISE: give someone advice or information. i must put
you wise about rakesh: he is not tobe trusted with money.
PUT OUT OF THE WAY: kill, to get rid of someone.the robbers said
that if i gave them any trouble, they would put me out of the way.
PUT AWAY: to put in a mental hospital. he had to put his wife away
when she become mentally ill.
PUT TO DEATH:to kill. he was put to death by robbers.
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