Letter P

PA

—   pa (pä) (colloq.): father (also voc.)  >Where does your pa work?  >Can you lend me ten bucks, Pa?

PACK

—   pack (vt) (colloq.): carry on (one’s) person (esp. when readily available for use)  >He packs a thirty-eight revolver when he carries a lot of cash.  >Why does she pack that book everywhere she goes?

—   pack a punch/wallop (... wol´әp) (colloq.): be able to deliver a powerful blow, be very potent  >He’s a skinny little guy, but he really packs a punch in a fight.  >This rum packs quite a wallop!

 *    pack ‘em in (... әm ...) (colloq.): attract a large audience, be very popular (said of a show, entertainer, etc.)  >They’ve been packing ‘em in down at Larry’s Lounge ever since that sexy blonde started singing there.  >That old comedian still packs ‘em in. 

PACKAGE

—   [one’s] package (sl., freq. vulg.): [one’s] genitalia (a man’s)  >She just walked up to him and grabbed his package right there in front of everyone. 

PACKING

—   be packing (sl.): be carrying a firearm  >Be careful around that dude, ‘cause he’s packin’.

PACK RAT

 *    pack rat (colloq.): person who saves or collects useless things (esp. obsessively)  >Millie’s such a pack rat! She’s got junk stored all over the place.

PAD

—   pad (sl.): home, living quarters  >You can stay at my pad tonight if ya want.  >Nice pad ya got here.

PADDY WAGON

—   paddy wagon (pad´ē ...) (colloq.): police wagon or van  >They rounded up the drunks and hauled them away in the paddy wagon.

PAGE

—   be on the same page (as) (colloq.): agree (with), have the same understanding (of s/thing) (as)  >I hope the judge is on the same page as their lawyer for this ruling.  >Me and my supervisor are on the same page about how to proceed.

PAIN

**   pain (colloq.): nuisance, irritating or troublesome person or thing  >That obnoxious jerk is such a pain!  >This plumbing job’s going to be a real pain.

—   feeling no pain (see FEELING)

**   pain in the ass (vulg.): nuisance, irritating or troublesome person or thing  >I’m gonna fire that pain in the ass one of these days.  >All those forms they make ya fill out are a real pain in the ass.

 *    pain in the butt (sl., freq. vulg.): nuisance, irritating or troublesome person or thing  >Shut up and stop bein’ such a pain in the butt!  >What a pain in the butt it is to wait in line!

**   pain in the neck (colloq.): nuisance, irritating or troublesome person or thing  >Don’t bring your brother! He’s a pain in the neck.  >Painting the trim is always a pain in the neck.

PAINT

—   paint the town (red) (colloq.): go on a wild spree, celebrate wildly (esp. at several drinking establishments)  >The team painted the town red after winning the championship.  >He took his winnings and painted the town.

PAIR

—   pair (sl., freq. vulg.): (woman’s) breasts (esp. large or shapely ones)  >He noticed she had quite a pair on her.

—   grow a pair (see GROW)

PAL

 *    pal (pal) (colloq.): friend, chum (also voc.)  >Slim’s never home—he’s always out with his pals.  >Watch where you’re going, will you, pal?

 *    pal around (vi) (colloq.): spend time together (as friends)  >His kid and mine pal around together.  >Les pals around with some of the guys at work.

PALEFACE

—   paleface (sl., freq. pej.): white person (from the perspective of Native Americans, historically)  >The Indians really got screwed by the palefaces in that deal.

PALIMONY

—   palimony (pal´ә mō´nē) (colloq.): money or property awarded to one partner after a nonmatrimonial romantic relationship breaks up  >She lived with him for four years and is asking for $100,000 a year as palimony.

PALM

—   grease [s/one’s] palm (see GREASE)

—   palm off (on) (vt) (colloq.): sell or give (to) through deception or fraud, present (to) (as s/thing more valuable than it is)  >Who do you think you’re going to be able to palm that cheap perfume off on?  >He tried to palm off some rhinestones as diamonds.

PALSY-WALSY

—   palsy-walsy (pal´zē wal´zē) (sl., freq. sarc.): very friendly, chummy  >He’ll get the contract because he’s real palsy-walsy with a couple of the supervisors.

PAN

—   pan (vt) (colloq.): strongly criticize (esp. in an entertainment review)  >I liked the movie, but the critics panned it.

—   flash in the pan (see FLASH)

 *    pan out (vi) (colloq.): turn out to be successful, have favorable results  >If Luke’s job pans out, we’ll be in good shape financially.  >Their research just didn’t pan out.

PANCAKE

—   (as) flat as a pancake (see FLAT)

PANHANDLE

 *    panhandle (vi, vt) (colloq.): approach (people) in public and beg for money  >Have you seen all the winos who panhandle down on Fifth Street?  >I don’t like bums panhandling me.

PANHANDLER

 *    panhandler (colloq.): person who approaches people in public and begs for money  >The number of panhandlers in that part of town has grown a lot lately.

PANIC

—   panic (sl.): extremely funny person or thing  >The guy’s a panic—he kept us laughin’ the whole time.

PANIC BUTTON

—   hit/push the panic button (colloq.): become panicked, be overcome with alarm, declare an emergency (esp. overly hastily)  >They hit the panic button when they found out their daughter had smoked some marijuana.

PANSY

—   pansy1 (pan´zē) (sl., pej.): male homosexual  >He says nobody but pansies go into that bar.

—   pansy2 (sl.): cowardly or effeminate male  >Don’t be a pansy! Jump like the rest of us did!

PANTS

—   pants (vt) (sl.): forcibly remove the pants from (to embarrass s/one as a prank or punishment)  >He was actin’ real obnoxious, so they pantsed him in front of a bunch of girls.

—   (about) pee in [one’s] pants (see PEE)

—   (about) shit (in) [one’s] pants (see SHIT)

—   beat the pants off (of) (see BEAT)

—   catch [s/one] with [his/her] pants down (see CATCH)

—   (fly) by the seat of [one’s] pants (see SEAT)

 *    get in(to) [s/one’s] pants (sl., freq. vulg.): conquer [s/one] sexually, achieve having sex with [s/one]  >He says he loves her, but he’s just tryin’ to get in her pants.

—   have ants in [one’s] pants (see ANTS)

—   keep [one’s] pants on (colloq.): not become impatient, calm down (used esp. as a command)  >I told Rich to keep his pants on, because he was getting real anxious to start.

 *    ... the pants off (of) [s/one] (colloq.): ... [s/one] to an extreme degree  >What a smooth talker—he charmed the pants off everyone at the party.  >His lecture bored the pants off of us.

—   wear the pants (see WEAR)

PANTYWAIST

—   pantywaist (pan´tē wāst´) (sl.): cowardly or effeminate man  >I tell ya I don’t want no kid of mine hangin’ around with them pantywaists!

PAPA

—   papa (pä´pә) (colloq.): father (also voc.)  >Her papa’s against her marrying so young.  >How are you feeling, Papa?

PAPER

—   push paper (see PUSH)

PAPER-PUSHER

—   paper-pusher (colloq.): low-ranking bureaucrat, person with an insignificant desk job (cf. “PUSH paper”)  >Some paper-pusher in the main office probably lost the form.

PAR

 *    be par for the course (colloq., freq. sarc.): be typical, be what one would expect  >That screwup Griffin forgot to get a signature on the contract, but that’s par for the course for him.

PARADE

—   rain on [s/one’s] parade (see RAIN)

PARDNER

—   pardner (pärd´nәr) (colloq.): friend, chum (also voc.)  >Me and my pardner built this shed.  >Hey, pardner, what do you say?

PARDON

—   pardon/excuse my French (see FRENCH)

PARK

 *    park1 (vt) (colloq.): place, set, leave  >Park yourself on that bench for a minute—I’ll be right back.  >Where do you want us to park this trunk?

—   park2 (vi) (colloq.): engage in kissing and caressing while in a parked car  >He took her to park down by the lake.

 —  walk in the park (see WALK)

PARLAY

—   parlay [s/thing] into (pär´lā ...) (colloq.): transform (a small initial resource) into (s/thing greater or more valuable)  >He parlayed a five hundred dollar investment eight years ago into a huge yearly income today.  >She parlayed a few key contacts into a successful consulting business.

PARTY

**   party (vi) (colloq.): enjoy oneself festively, celebrate  >Exams are over—let’s party!

—   the life of the party (see LIFE)

PARTY ANIMAL

 *    party animal (sl.): person who loves to celebrate wildly, enthusiastic party goer  >Count on Victor showin’ up at that bash. He’s a real party animal.

PARTY-POOPER

 *    party-pooper (pär´tē pū´pәr) (sl.): person who spoils a happy occasion, person incapable of having fun, pessimistic or ill-humored person, killjoy  >Everyone was havin’ a good time till that party-pooper started complainin’ about everything.

PASS

 *    pass (vi) (colloq.): decline (to do or take s/thing)  >Thanks for offering, but I think I’ll pass.

 *    make a pass at (colloq.): make a sexual or romantic advance toward, do or say s/thing to express a sexual or romantic interest in  >Trumbull got drunk and made a pass at Stanton’s wife.

**   pass out (vi) (colloq.): lose consciousness  >He finally passed out right there on the barstool.

 *    pass the buck (colloq.): transfer responsibility or blame to another, refer a problem to another  >Everyone keeps passing the buck—so who’s going to take care of this?

—   pass the hat (colloq.): take up a collection of money  >We passed the hat and people gave what they could to help out.

PASSION

—   with a purple passion (see PURPLE)

PAST

—   wouldn’t put it past [s/one] (to [do s/thing]) (see PUT)

PASTE

—   paste (vt) (sl.): hit hard (esp. in the face)  >He kept mouthin’ off, so I pasted him.

PASTURE

—   put [s/one] out to pasture (see PUT)

PAT

 *    have [s/thing] down pat (colloq.): have mastered or learned [s/thing] thoroughly  >It took Billy a while to learn the system, but now he’s got it down pat.

 *    pat on the back (colloq.): expression of praise or congratulations  >The award she received was a nice pat on the back for her good work.

 *    pat [s/one] on the back (colloq.): praise or congratulate [s/one]  >Pat Henry on the back every now and then to let him know he’s appreciated.  >I had to pat myself on the back for the way I handled that problem.

PATSY

—   patsy1 (pat´sē) (sl.): person who takes the blame for others, scapegoat  >They got some patsy to take the rap for ‘em.

—   patsy2 (sl.): person who is easily deceived or victimized, dupe  >A good con man can spot a patsy right away.

PAVEMENT

—   pound the pavement (see POUND)

PAW

—   paw1 (colloq.): hand (esp. when seen as neg.)  >If Andy puts his paws on my sister, I’ll break his face!

—   paw2 (vt) (colloq.): handle roughly or with excessive familiarity  >He started pawing her and she jumped out of the car.

PAWN

 *    pawn off (on) (vt) (colloq.): manipulate (s/one) to buy or accept, get rid of (by having s/one take), push off (on)  >She’s trying to pawn her bratty kid off on her sister for a few days while she takes a little vacation.  >If I talk to my neighbors, I should be able to pawn my old lawn mower off for a few dollars.

PAY

**   pay (vi) (colloq.): be worthwhile, be beneficial, bring good results  >It pays to be nice to people.  >Crime doesn’t pay.

—   hell to pay (see HELL)

 *    pay [one’s] dues (colloq.): merit s/thing because of [one’s] efforts or sacrifices, work or suffer so much that [one] deserves s/thing  >I’m glad Rick got promoted, because he’s paid his dues.  >I hope Karen doesn’t have any more problems with her son—she’s already paid her dues.

—   (pay) lip service (see LIP SERVICE)

**   pay off1 (vi) (colloq.): be profitable, be rewarding, result in success or advantage  >All your studying will pay off later.

 *    pay off2 (vt) (colloq.): bribe, pay (s/one) for influential intervention, pay (s/one) not to reveal s/thing incriminating  >He’s paying off some politicians to make sure there are no snags on his project.  >You’d better pay Sammy off if you want him to keep his mouth shut.

—   pay through the nose (colloq.): pay an excessive amount  >You really pay through the nose in that tourist trap!

PAY DIRT

—   hit/strike pay dirt (colloq.): make a valuable discovery, find a source of wealth or success  >The researcher hit pay dirt when he found those old manuscripts.  >They struck pay dirt when they marketed that video game.

PAYOFF

 *    payoff1 (colloq.): bribe money, money paid for influential intervention or to ensure that s/thing incriminating will not be revealed  >Some crooked cops have been taking payoffs.

—  payoff2 (colloq.): ultimate gain or reward  >The payoff for all your hard studying will be a good-paying job.  >What’s the payoff for me if I help you out?

PAYOLA

—   payola (pā ō´lә) (sl.): money paid for illicit influential intervention, graft money  >Payola’s what keeps things runnin’ in this business.

P.C.P.

 *    P.C.P. (sl.): phencyclidine (a hallucinogenic drug)  >He did some P.C.P., then just went wild.

P.D.Q.

—   P.D.Q. (= “pretty darn/damn quick”) (colloq.): very quickly, immediately  >The boss wants this taken care of P.D.Q.

P.E.

**   P.E. (colloq.): physical education (esp. as a course of study)  >I have history at ten and P.E. at eleven.

PEACH

—   peach (colloq.): very likable or charming person  >Marvin’s a real peach of a guy.  >Thanks, hon, you’re a peach.

PEACH FUZZ

—   peach fuzz (colloq.): immature or downy hair (esp. on an adolescent boy’s face)  >Why’d Tommy start shaving? All he’s got is peach fuzz.

PEACHY

—   peachy (pē´chē) (colloq., dtd.): wonderful, excellent, fine  >Everything’s been just peachy around here since that old grouch left.

—   peachy keen (sl., hum., freq. sarc.): wonderful, excellent, fine  >She acts like everything’s peachy keen between them, but I know they’ve been fightin’.

PEANUT GALLERY

—   peanut gallery (colloq.): cheapest seats in a theater, seats farthest removed from the performance  >You can’t see anything from here in the peanut gallery.

PEANUTS

 *    peanuts (sl.): insignificant or trivial amount of money  >You’re workin’ your butt off and they’re payin’ ya peanuts.

PEARLY WHITES

—   pearly whites (colloq.): teeth (esp. bright and handsome ones)  >All he’s got to do is keep flashing them pearly whites and he’s sure to get elected.

PEA SOUP

—   pea soup (colloq.): thick fog  >You’re crazy to try and drive in this pea soup.

PECK

—   peck (colloq.): quick or perfunctory kiss  >He gave his wife a peck on the cheek and then left for work.

PECKER

—   pecker (vulg.): penis  >He thinks his pecker’s too small.

PECS

 *    pecs (peks) (colloq.): pectoral muscles  >Bench presses are good for building up your pecs. 

PEDAL

—   put the pedal to the metal (sl.): proceed with full speed and determination  >They’re gonna have to put the pedal to the metal to finish the project on time. 

PEE

**   pee1 (pē) (sl., freq. vulg.): urine  >I think you just sat in some dog pee.

**   pee2 (vi) (sl., freq. vulg.): urinate  >Where’s the toilet? I got to pee bad.

 *    (about) pee in [one’s] pants (colloq., freq. vulg.): laugh very hard  >We about peed in our pants when Julie sat down on a plate of spaghetti someone had left there.

—   full of pee/piss and vinegar (see FULL)

 *    take a pee (sl., freq. vulg.): urinate  >The bum was takin’ a pee right there on my lawn!

PEEL

—   peel out (vi) (sl.): accelerate a vehicle quickly from a stop (esp. while making the tires squeal on the pavement), leave quickly  >We peeled outta the parkin’ lot when some crazy came at us swingin’ a baseball bat.

PEELED

—   keep [one’s] eyes peeled (see EYES)

PEEP

—   [neg.] a peep (colloq.): any word or comment, a single sound  >You kids go to bed, and I don’t want to hear a peep out of you!  >He didn’t say anything at the meeting—not a peep.

PEE-PEE

—   pee-pee1 (pē´pē´) (colloq.): urine (used esp. with small children)  >Did the diaper soak up all the pee-pee?

 *    pee-pee2 (vi) (colloq.): urinate (used esp. with small children)  >Donny says he’s got to pee-pee.

PEEPERS

—   peepers (pē´pәrz) (sl.): eyes  >I’m gonna need glasses—my peepers are goin’ bad on me.

PEEWEE

—   peewee1 (pē´wē´) (colloq.): unusually small or short person (also voc.)  >We need a big man for this job, not some peewee like him.  >Hey, peewee, you’d better not mess with that guy!

—   peewee2 (colloq.): unusually small  >You expect me to get any work done with this peewee hammer?

PEG

—   peg (vt) (colloq.): identify, guess the classification or nature of  >Joey pegged him for an undercover cop right away.  >I had no trouble pegging their act as a fraud.

—   take/knock [s/one] down a peg (or two) (see TAKE)

PEN

 *    the pen (sl.): a penitentiary, a prison  >He did seven years in the pen for armed robbery.

PENCIL

—   push a pencil (see PUSH)

PENCIL-PUSHER

—   pencil-pusher (colloq.): low-ranking bureaucrat, person with an insignificant desk job (cf. “PUSH a pencil”)  >I want to talk to the section head, not some pencil-pusher.

PENNIES

—   pinch pennies (see PINCH)

PENNY

—   a pretty penny (see PRETTY)

PENNY-ANTE

—   penny-ante (colloq.): of little worth, insignificant in value  >I can’t believe he left the firm for some penny-ante sales job.

PENNY PINCHER

 *    penny pincher (colloq.): very stingy person, miser (cf. “PINCH pennies”)  >That penny pincher wouldn’t help pay for the party.

PENNY-PINCHING

 *    penny-pinching (colloq.): very stingy, miserly  >Her penny-pinching husband won’t let her buy any decent clothes.

PEORIA

—   play in Peoria (see PLAY)

PEP

 *    pep (pep) (colloq.): energy, vigor, vitality  >Come on, people! Put some pep in your singing!

 *    pep up (vt) (colloq.): invigorate, animate, energize  >Maybe a few drinks will pep this party up.  >That car really goes fast since he pepped up the engine.

PEPPER-UPPER

—   pepper-upper (pep´әr up´әr) (sl.): thing that renews energy or vitality, stimulant  >I need a pepper-upper—maybe a cup of strong coffee—to keep me goin’ tonight.

PEP PILL

—   pep pill (pep ...) (colloq.): pill containing a stimulant (esp. an amphetamine)  >Michelle planned to drive all night, so she took a couple of pep pills before heading out.

PEPPY

 *    peppy (pep´ē) (colloq.): energetic, lively, vigorous  >Why are you feeling so peppy this morning?

PEP TALK

 *    pep talk (pep ...) (colloq.): speech given to motivate or enthuse to succeed  >The coach gave the players a good pep talk, and they played better the second half.  >The boss’s pep talk fired them up.

PERK

 *    perk1 (colloq.): extra benefit of employment or position, perquisite  >Country club membership’s one of the perks that come with the job.

 *    perk2 (vi, vt) (colloq.): percolate  >Has the coffee finished perking yet?  >I’ll go perk some coffee.

PERM

**   perm1 (pûrm) (colloq.): hair permanent  >Her new perm looks terrible.

**   perm2 (vt) (colloq.): apply a permanent to (hair)  >Should I perm my hair or let it grow straight?

PERP

—   perp (pûrp) (sl.): perpetrator (of a crime)  >The cops grabbed the perp in some motel.

PESKY

 *    pesky (pes´kē) (colloq.): annoying, bothersome, troublesome  >I wish these pesky mosquitoes would leave me alone.

PET

—   pet (vi) (colloq.): engage in fondling and caressing  >He jumped in the backseat with her and they petted for over an hour.

PETER

—   peter (pē´tәr) (vulg.): penis  >He thought the guy at the next urinal was lookin’ at his peter.

 *    peter out (vi) (colloq.): diminish in strength or amount, dwindle, become exhausted  >He petered out after only twenty minutes of tennis.  >I hear they’re going to close the mine because the copper’s petering out.

PET PEEVE

 *    pet peeve (colloq.): special source of annoyance (for s/one)  >My pet peeve is when people talk during a movie.

P.G.

—   P.G. (colloq.): pregnant  >Married only two months and she’s already P.G.?

PHAT

 —   phat (fat) (sl., dtd.): wonderful, excellent, beautiful  >Great tattoo, man—it’s phat!

PHILLY

 *    Philly (fil´ē) (colloq.): Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  >He lives in Eastern Pennsylvania, somewhere near Philly.

PHONE

—   hold the phone! (see HOLD)

PHONEY

—   phoney (see “PHONY”) 

PHONEY-BALONEY

—   phoney-baloney (see “PHONY-BALONEY”)

PHONY

**   phony1 (fō´nē) (colloq.): ungenuine or false thing or person, insincere person, fake  >This twenty-dollar bill looks like a phony to me.  >How can you stand that hypocrite? He’s such a damn phony.

**   phony2 (colloq.): fake, unauthentic, false, insincere  >This so-called diamond is phony.  >I hate his phony smile.

PHONY-BALONEY

—   phony-balony (fō´nē …) (colloq.): fake, unauthentic, false, insincere  >You don’t believe that phony-baloney story of his about some secret gold mine, do you? 

PHOOEY

—   phooey (on ...)! (fū´ē ...) (colloq.): (interj. to express disappointment, disgust, or contempt [regarding ...])  >Phooey! The Clippers lost again!  >Phooey on you and your stupid ideas!

PHYS ED

 *    phys ed (fiz´ed´) (colloq.): physical education (esp. as a course of study)  >Most of the athletes major in phys ed.

P.I.

—   P.I. (colloq.): private investigator, private detective  >Johnson used to be a police sergeant, but he quit and became a P.I.

PICK

—   pick (sl.): comb with long and widely spaced teeth (used for curly or kinky hair)  >He don’t go nowhere without his pick in his pocket.

—   have a bone to pick with (see BONE)

—   pick at (colloq.): nag at, find fault with (esp. unreasonably)  >They’re always picking at their poor boy about everything he does.

 *    pick [s/one’s] brain (colloq.): get information or ideas from [s/one] (esp. from an expert)  >If you want to pick someone’s brain, hire a consultant.

—   pick it up (colloq.): move or work faster  >Hey, guys, let’s pick it up! We need to finish fast.

**   pick on (colloq.): tease or harass, subject to criticism or scorn  >The kids pick on him because he’s short.  >Why’s that newspaper been picking on the president so much lately?

**   pick up1 (vt) (colloq.): learn informally or through experience  >Patty picked up quite a bit of Spanish when she lived in Mexico.

**   pick up2 (vt) (colloq.): meet and gain the company of (esp. when sexually motivated)  >We picked up a couple of gals in a bar and had a good time.

 *    pick up3 (vt) (colloq.): take into custody  >They picked up the suspect in Reno.  >Pick him up for questioning.

 *    pick up4 (vt) (colloq.): acquire, purchase  >Where’d you pick up that great briefcase?  >I’ll pick up some things at the store on my way home.

 *    pick up5 (vt) (colloq.): pay (a bill)  >Order whatever you want—the boss is picking up the bill.

—   pick up and leave (colloq.): gather (one’s) belongings and leave (esp. unexpectedly or quickly)  >After twenty years of marriage she just picked up and left one day.

 *    pick up on (colloq.): perceive, become aware of, notice  >Sure he was high on something! Didn’t you pick up on it?  >She picked up on his fear of commitment right away.

PICKER-UPPER

—   picker-upper (pik´әr up´әr) (colloq.): thing that renews energy or vitality, stimulant  >I need a picker-upper this time of the afternoon.

PICKINGS

—   slim pickings (see SLIM)

PICKLE

—   pickle (colloq.): awkward or difficult situation, predicament  >He’s got himself in a real pickle with those loan sharks.

PICKLED

—   pickled (sl.): drunk  >Old Jim got pretty pickled after a night of hard drinkin’.

PICK-ME-UP

—   pick-me-up (colloq.): thing that renews energy or vitality, stimulant  >Let’s go to the bar for a quick pick-me-up before dinner.

PICKUP

—   pickup1 (colloq.): person whom (one) meets and whose company (one) gains (esp. when sexually motivated)  >She was just some pickup he met at a bar.

—   pickup2 (colloq.): composed of persons available at the moment, impromptu  >He hangs around the basketball court and plays in pickup games.

PICKY

**   picky (pik´ē) (colloq.): overly meticulous, fussy, choosy  >Don’t be so picky! His performance was fine.

PICNIC

—   be no picnic (colloq.): be a difficult experience, be an ordeal  >It’s no picnic babysitting that two-year-old.  >That exam was no picnic.

PICS

—   pics (piks) (sl.): pictures, photographs  >Wanna see the pics of the wedding?

PICTURE

—   (as) pretty as a picture (see PRETTY)

—   draw [s/one] a picture (see DRAW)

 *    get the picture (colloq.): understand the situation, become fully aware of the circumstances  >Now I get the picture—he’s maneuvering for a better position.

PICTURE-PERFECT

 *    picture-perfect (colloq.): having perfect conditions, executed perfectly  >The weather was picture-perfect for fishing.  >Teresa’s dive was picture-perfect—she won the gold medal.

PIDDLE

—   piddle1 (pid´l) (colloq.): urine (used esp. with children and pets)  >There’s doggy piddle on the kitchen floor.

—   piddle2 (vi) (colloq.): urinate (used esp. with children and pets)  >Stop the car! Jimmy’s got to piddle.

 *    piddle around (vi) (colloq.): pass time idly, work halfheartedly or unproductively  >He spends more time piddling around on the job than actually working.

PIE

—   (as) easy as pie (see EASY)

—   pie in the sky (colloq.): wishful thinking, illusory reward or benefit, unrealistic hope  >Him thinking his kid’s going to get into medical school is pie in the sky.

PIECE

—   piece1 (sl.): pistol  >Watch out for him—he’s packin’ a piece.

—   piece2 (vulg.): episode of sexual intercourse (with a woman)  >He says he’s horny ‘cause he ain’t had a piece in weeks.

—   piece3 (vulg., pej.): woman (seen as a sex object)  >He says he picked up a real nice piece at a party last night.

 *    give [s/one] a piece of [one’s] mind (colloq.): reprimand [s/one] severely, criticize [s/one] angrily, complain strenuously to [s/one]  >I’m going to give that jerk a piece of my mind.

 *    in one piece (colloq.): unharmed or undamaged  >I can’t believe he came out of that wreck in one piece.  >My camera made it through the whole trip in one piece.

 *    piece of ass1 (vulg., pej.): woman (seen as a sex object)  >He said there was a nice piece of ass sittin’ at the corner table.

 *    piece of ass2 (vulg.): episode of sexual intercourse (with a woman)  >He said he finally got a piece of ass last night.

**   piece of cake (colloq.): easy thing to do, assured success  >I know this stuff real well—that test will be a piece of cake.

—   piece/chunk of change (sl.): substantial amount of money  >A big car like that is gonna cost ya a nice piece of change.

—   piece of crap (... krap) (sl., freq. vulg.): worthless or contemptible thing or person  >She liked the movie, but I thought it was a piece of crap.

—   piece of crud (... krud) (sl.): worthless or contemptible thing or person  >Couldn’t you afford to buy a better stereo than this piece of crud?

—   hunk/pile/piece of junk (see JUNK)

 *    piece of shit (... shit) (vulg.): worthless or contemptible thing or person  >Who wrote this boring piece of shit?  >That bum’s a piece of shit—don’t even think of marryin’ him.

—   piece of tail1 (vulg., pej.): woman (seen as a sex object)  >That was some nice piece of tail you were with last night!

—   piece of tail2 (vulg.): episode of sexual intercourse (with a woman)  >He went out lookin’ for a piece of tail in the singles bars.

 *    piece of the action (colloq.): some participation in the game or activity, a portion of the profits  >If you’re making bets on the fight, I want a piece of the action.  >My piece of the action is twenty percent off the top.

—   piece of work (sl., sarc.): contemptible or reprehensible person  >You’re a real piece of work, the way ya tricked that poor slob.

PIECES

 *    go/fall to pieces (colloq.): lose emotional control, become overwrought, begin crying hard  >Whenever Jay thinks about losing her, he goes to pieces.  >The poor guy just fell to pieces at the funeral.

PIE-EYED

—   pie-eyed (sl.): drunk  >We got pretty pie-eyed on rum and cokes.

PIG

**   pig1 (colloq.): dirty or messy person, obnoxious or ill-mannered person  >Why doesn’t that pig clean up his desk?  >What a pig, burping out loud like that at the dinner table!

**   pig2 (colloq.): glutton, overeater  >That pig ate half the lasagna all by himself!

—   pig3 (sl., pej., dtd.): police officer  >Don’t tell the pigs nothin’!

**   pig out (on) (sl.): eat an excessive amount (of), be gluttonous (with)  >I always pig out at potluck dinners.  >Burt really pigged out on spare ribs at the picnic.

—   sweat like a pig (see SWEAT)

PIG’S

—   in a pig’s eye ...! (sl.): not so ...! in no way ...! never ...!  >Me, apologize to that jerk? In a pig’s eye, I will!

PIG-OUT

 *    pig-out (sl.): occasion of gluttony, episode of overeating  >The buffet dinner was one big pig-out.  >I’d better diet for a week after last night’s pig-out.

PIKE

—   come down the pike (see COME)

PIKER

—   piker (pī´kәr) (colloq.): stingy or petty person, person who is overly cautious with money  >Do you really think you’re going to get that piker to pay a month in advance?  >The piker gave only a buck.

PILE

 *    a pile (colloq.): a large amount of money  >His uncle made a pile in the commodities market.

—   a pile (of ...) (colloq.): much (...), many (...)  >I got a pile of work to do around the house.  >Gary’s got a pile of racing trophies.

—   hunk/pile/piece of junk (see JUNK)

—   pile on/off (vi, vt) (colloq.): get on/off as a group (esp. quickly or in a disorderly manner)  >The sailors piled off the bus and headed toward the bar.  >Pile on, everyone! We got to get going.

PILL

—   pill (sl., dtd.): unpleasant or boring person  >The guy’s a pill—keep him away from me, will ya?

**   the pill (colloq.): the birth-control pill  >She’s on the pill because they don’t want kids yet.

PILL POPPER

—   pill popper (colloq.): person who habitually takes pills (esp. tranquilizers or illegal drugs)  >I want all the pill poppers and other druggies out of here.

PILL PUSHER

—   pill pusher (sl., pej.): medical doctor  >Some pill pusher told me I got gallstones. 

PILLOW TALK

—   pillow talk (colloq.): intimate conversation between lovers in bed  >They had a little pillow talk, then fell asleep in each other’s arms. 

PIN

—   (it’s so quiet) you can hear a pin drop (see HEAR)

 *    pin down (vt) (colloq.): force to make a decision or commitment  >I’ll see if I can pin down the contractor on a start-up date.

—   pin [s/one’s] ears back (colloq.): thoroughly beat [s/one], decisively defeat [s/one]  >If that loudmouth doesn’t watch out, somebody’s going to pin his ears back.

 *    pin [s/thing] on (colloq.): ascribe the guilt or responsibility for [s/thing] to, blame [s/thing] on  >The police are trying to pin three robberies on him.

PINCH

—   pinch1 (sl.): arrest  >I’ll scare ‘em out, and you make the pinch.

—   pinch2 (vt) (sl.): arrest  >The cops pinched him when he came outta the store.

—   pinch3 (vt) (sl.): steal  >Where’d ya pinch the iPod, Ralph?

 *    in a pinch (colloq.): in an emergency, if need be  >This small truck doesn’t hold much, but it’ll do in a pinch.

—   pinch a loaf (sl., vulg.): defecate  >Where’s the head? I gotta pinch a loaf bad.

 *    pinch pennies (colloq.): be stingy, be miserly (cf. “PENNY PINCHER”)  >Stop pinching pennies and have some fun!

PINCH-HIT

 *    pinch-hit (vi) (colloq.): substitute (for s/one), take (s/one’s) place (esp. in an emergency)  >You’ll have to pinch-hit for Terry at the sales meeting today—he’s out sick.

PINHEAD

—   pinhead (sl.): stupid person  >That pinhead couldn’t figure it out if he had to.

PINK

—   in the pink (colloq.): in good health  >Doc says he’s in the pink.

—   tickled (pink) (see TICKLED)

PINK ELEPHANTS

—   see pink elephants (colloq.): have alcohol-induced hallucinations  >Evert was seeing pink elephants when they hauled him off to jail.

PINKIE

 *    pinkie (ping´kē) (colloq.): little finger  >He looks kind of silly with his pinkie sticking up in the air.

PINKO

—   pinko (ping´kō) (sl., pej., dtd.): left-winger, communist sympathizer (also adj.)  >I say we get all the dang pinkos outta the government.  >They’re poisonin’ our kids’ minds with their pinko ideas.

PINK SLIP

 *    pink slip (colloq.): notice of being dismissed or laid off  >Fifty workers got their pink slips today because sales are really down.

PINK-SLIP

—   pink-slip (vt) (colloq.): dismiss, lay off  >The supervisor’s going to pink-slip Gray if he doesn’t start working harder.

PINKY

—   pinky (see “PINKIE”)

PINT-SIZE

—   pint-size(d) (colloq.): small, smaller than normal  >I just don’t feel comfortable driving those pint-size cars.

PIPE

 *    pipe (colloq.): passage or tube (in the body)  >A piece of meat went down the wrong pipe, and I about choked to death.  >The doctor says my heart’s working too hard because my pipes are all clogged up.

 *    pipe down (vi) (sl.): quiet down, stop speaking loudly, be quiet  >Hey, pipe down! I’m tryin’ to talk on the phone.

—   pipe up (vi) (colloq.): speak up, raise (one’s) voice  >You got Maxwell mad when you piped up at the meeting about how he’d messed up.

—   put that in your pipe and smoke it! (sl.): understand and accept that no matter what your objections are!  >I’ll take your daughter out if I want to, and I’ll marry her some day, too! Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

PIPELINE

—   in the pipeline (colloq.): being developed, under production  >We got a new model in the pipeline that should be out early next year.

PIPES

—   (set of) pipes (colloq.): vocal chords, voice (esp. seen as strong)  >Does that screaming kid ever have a set of pipes on her!  >What that singer can do with those pipes of his!

PIPING

 *    piping hot (pī´ping ...) (colloq.): very hot (said of food or drink)  >There’s nothing like a piping hot cup of coffee on a cold morning.

PIPSQUEAK

—   pipsqueak (pip´skwēk´) (colloq.): small and insignificant person (esp. seen as contemptible)  >I ain’t afraid of that little pipsqueak.

PISS

**   piss1 (pis) (sl., freq. vulg.): urine  >I hate it when there’s piss on the toilet seat!

**   piss2 (vi) (sl., freq. vulg.): urinate  >Some slob pissed on the floor.

—   full of pee/piss and vinegar (see FULL)

—   not have a pot to piss in (see POT)

—   piss away (vt) (sl., freq. vulg.): squander, spend foolishly  >I can’t believe he pissed away the whole $9000 in just one week!

**   piss (off) (vt) (sl., freq. vulg.): make angry, irritate  >Man, it really pisses me off when people interrupt me like that.  >Glenn got really pissed when he lost the game.

 *    piss off! (vulg.): go away! stop annoying me!  >Piss off, will ya? You’re gettin’ on my nerves.

—   piss on ...! (vulg.): I don’t care at all about ...! I find ... contemptible!  >Well, if he don’t like it, piss on him!

**   take a piss (sl., freq. vulg.): urinate  >Be right back—I gotta take a piss.

—   ... the piss out of [s/one] (sl., freq. vulg.): ... [s/one] to the utmost degree, ... [s/one] extraordinarily (esp. in a neg. way)  >It bugged the piss outta Trudy when Lou told her he didn’t like her new hairdo.

PISSANT

—   pissant (pis´ant´) (sl.): small and insignificant person (esp. seen as contemptible)  >Tell your little brothers and those other pissants to get outta there!

PISSED

**   pissed (pist) (sl., freq. vulg.): angry  >Don was really pissed when he found out what they were sayin’ about him!

PISSER

—   pisser (pis´әr) (sl., freq. vulg.): something unpleasant, difficult or disappointing thing or situation  >Flunkin’ that big chemistry test was a pisser. 

PISSING CONTEST

—   pissing contest (pis´ing/pis´in …) (sl., freq. vulg.): competition between/among rivals to show dominance or superiority (esp. between/among men)  >The two vice presidents are havin’ a pissin’ contest to see who gets the final say on the project. 

PISS-POOR

—   piss-poor (pis´pŭr´) (sl., freq. vulg.): inferior, of poor quality, bad  >What a piss-poor job those idiots did!

PISSY

 —   pissy (pis´ē) (colloq., freq. vulg.): ill-tempered, argumentative, impudent  >Don’t get all pissy with me, just because I won’t play along with you.

PITCH

 *    pitch1 (colloq.): speech or argument (used to sell or win approval for s/thing)  >I don’t want to hear this guy’s sales pitch.  >He made a pitch for the building project at the city council meeting.

 *    pitch2 (vt) (colloq.): speak or argue for (s/thing one is trying to sell or win approval for)  >The salesman’s going to pitch the new land development.

 *    pitch in (vi) (colloq.): help, contribute work or support  >If everyone pitches in, we can get this place cleaned up in a couple of hours.

PITCHING

—   in there pitching (colloq.): putting out a determined effort, trying hard, coping  >Paulson’s slowed down some, but he’s still in there pitching.  >Stay in there pitching, and don’t let them bother you.

PITS

 *    the pits (sl.): very unpleasant or bothersome thing or occurrence, very irritating or boring situation, the worst  >This sleazy bar is the pits.  >Workin’ for that arrogant jerk is the pits.

PIT STOP

 *    make a pit stop (sl.): stop to go to the bathroom (esp. to urinate, esp. when traveling)  >Let me make a pit stop before we go on to Hank’s.

PIX

—   pix (see “PICS”)

PIZAZZ

 *    pizazz (pә zaz´) (colloq.): liveliness, energy, zest, flair  >This move will put a little pizazz in your dancing.

PIZZA-FACE

—   pizza-face (voc.) (sl., pej.): pimply-faced person  >Nice bunch of pimples ya got there, pizza-face.

PIZZAZZ

—   pizzazz (see “PIZAZZ”)

P.J.S

 *    P.J.s (pē´jāz´) (colloq.): pajamas  >Let’s get Tommy’s P.J.s on him and put him to bed.

PLACE

—   wide place in the road (see WIDE)

PLACES

 *    go places (colloq.): advance in (one’s) career, gain success, have a promising future  >He’s a sharp guy who’s going places in this business.

PLAGUE

—   avoid [s/one, s/thing] like the plague (see AVOID)

PLAIN JANE

—   plain Jane (colloq.): unattractive woman  >How did that plain Jane get such a handsome husband?

PLANT

 *    plant1 (colloq.): person secretly placed in a group to spy on its members or influence them  >I think he’s a plant the police sent to check up on us.

—   plant2 (colloq.): thing designed to be discovered and to incriminate another  >He swears the cocaine they found in his house was a plant.

 *    plant3 (vt) (colloq.): place (s/thing) to be discovered and to incriminate another  >The killer planted the murder weapon in the other guy’s car.

 *    plant4 (vt) (colloq.): place (s/one) secretly in a group to spy on its members or influence them  >The owners have planted a couple of guys in the union to spy on us.

—   plant5 (vt) (sl.): deliver (a blow), place (a kiss)  >Greg planted a right jab on his chin.  >She planted a big wet kiss on his cheek.

—   plant6 (vt) (sl.): bury (a corpse)  >She killed her husband and planted the body in the desert.

PLASTER

—   plaster (vt) (colloq.): hit forcefully, beat, defeat decisively  >She plastered the guy with her purse.  >We’re going to plaster that team next week.

PLASTERED

 *    plastered (sl.): very drunk  >When Joey’s girl left him, he went to a bar and got plastered.

PLASTIC

**   plastic1 (colloq.): credit cards, credit afforded by credit cards  >I ain’t got money, but I got plastic.  >Don’t worry about the cost—we’ll get it with plastic.

—   plastic2 (colloq.): insincere, ungenuine, artificial  >I hate her plastic smile.

PLATE

—  step up to the plate (see STEP)

PLATINUM

—   platinum (sl.): (a record) having sold at least two million copies as a single or one million as an album (cf. “GOLD”)  >After twenty years in the business she finally got a platinum record.

PLAY

—   play1 (vi) (colloq.): gain acceptance, succeed, fare  >The proposed tax increase isn’t going to play well with the middle class.

—   play2 (vt) (sl.): manipulate with deception  >Don’t believe that shyster—he’s just playin’ ya so you’ll go along with his scheme.

—   get play (colloq.): receive attention, get notice or exposure  >That new discovery got a lot of play in the news.

—   make a play for (colloq.): try to attract or obtain, flirt with  >Our competitor’s making a play for Reynolds’ business.  >That hussy always makes a play for other women’s husbands.

 *    play along (vi) (colloq.): cooperate or collaborate (esp. despite doubts or reservations)  >All right, I’ll play along with you—we’ll say you really are the mayor’s brother.

 *    play around (vi) (colloq.): pass time idly, work halfheartedly or unproductively  >You’ve been playing around too much and haven’t gotten anything done.

 *    play around (with) (colloq.): be sexually involved (with) (esp. illicitly), be sexually promiscuous  >Getting married sure didn’t stop him from playing around.  >His wife suspects he’s been playing around with his secretary.

 *    play (around) with (colloq.): treat without due respect or seriousness, handle capriciously, toy with  >Don’t play around with him, because he’s a big shot around here.  >Don’t play with the accounts!

—   play ball (with) (see BALL)

 *    play [one’s] cards right (colloq.): act astutely or cautiously, use correct strategies  >If you play your cards right, you can make a lot of money on this deal.

—   play catch-up (see CATCH-UP)

—   play chicken (with) (see CHICKEN)

—   play doctor (see DOCTOR)

—   play dumb (see DUMB)

—   play fast and loose (colloq.): behave irresponsibly or carelessly  >He loves to play fast and loose with other people’s money.  >She should dump the bum. He’s been playing fast and loose with her affections.

—   play footsie(s) (with) (see FOOTSIE)

—   play [s/one] for a fool/sucker (colloq.): treat [s/one] as a fool, manipulate [s/one] through deception  >Chet thinks Blanche is in love with him, but she’s playing him for a sucker.

—   play hardball (see HARDBALL)

—   play hard-to-get (see HARD-TO-GET)

—   play hooky (see HOOKY)

—   play in Peoria (... pē ôr´ē ә) (colloq.): succeed among the American mainstream, be accepted by the common people  >The proposal seems OK to most of the Senate, but how will it play in Peoria?

 *    play it by ear (colloq.): react to the situation as it reveals itself, improvise  >I’m not sure just what’ll happen at the meeting, so we’ll have to play it by ear.

 *    play it cool (sl.): behave in a calm and controlled way, keep (one’s) composure  >Ya gotta play it cool with those gang members, ‘cause they don’t take crap from nobody.

 *    play it safe (colloq.): proceed cautiously, not take chances, avoid risk  >Let’s play it safe and take along the flashlight just in case.

—   play it straight (colloq.): deal honestly, proceed conventionally  >I’d play it straight with the judge if I was you.

—   play possum (see POSSUM)

 *    play rough (colloq.): resort to extreme or violent measures (to ensure winning)  >Don’t even think of stealing from them, because they play rough.  >If you want to play rough, I’ll take you to court!

—   play second fiddle (to) (see SECOND FIDDLE)

 *    play the field (colloq.): date several people during the same period (instead of having a single romantic interest)  >I told her she was too young to get married and that she should play the field for a while.

 *    play the game (colloq.): follow the rules, behave as expected, accept how things work (in a certain situation)  >Yeah, I don’t like these company parties either, but you got to play the game.

—   play up to (colloq.): try to gain favor with, flatter, try to please (esp. insincerely or with ulterior motives)  >She’s been playing up to the supervisor so he’ll give her the easy assignments.

 *    play with [oneself] (colloq.): masturbate  >She got all upset because she caught her son playing with himself.

PLAYER

—   player (colloq.): participant, involved party  >We can make this deal work if we can just get all the key players together.

PLAYGROUND

—   playground (colloq.): place of amusement, area used for fun  >Las Vegas is his playground.  >Want to see the waterbed in my playground?

PLAYING

 *    not be playing with a full deck (sl.): not be completely sane, have irrational behavior  >That guy talkin’ to himself over there ain’t playin’ with a full deck.  >What a weirdo! Is she playin’ with a full deck?

PLAYMATE

—   playmate (colloq.): sexual companion  >I saw him taking another one of his playmates into his apartment last night.

PLEA

—   cop a plea (see COP)

PLEASE

—   pretty please (with sugar on it)! (see PRETTY)

PLENTY

 *    plenty (colloq.): very, quite, sufficiently  >Dad was plenty mad about the broken window.  >This rope is plenty strong to tie it down.

PLOW

 *    plow into (colloq.): move quickly and forcefully into, crash into, attack  >He sat down at his desk and plowed into his work.  >The car plowed into the fence.  >I said something he didn’t like, and he just plowed right into me.

PLUG

 *    plug1 (colloq.): recommendation, favorable mention, appeal (for s/one to buy or seek s/thing)  >He gave a plug for his new movie when he was on the talk show.

 *    plug2 (vt) (colloq.): promote, mention favorably, actively recommend  >I can’t believe he went around at church plugging his product line!

—   plug3 (vt) (sl.): shoot, hit with a bullet  >He plugged a bank guard during the robbery.

 *    plug away/along (colloq.): work steadily  >I’m going to keep plugging away at this report till I finish it.  >He doesn’t work too fast, but he plugs along.

 *    pull the plug (on) (colloq.): terminate support or permission (for), discontinue (s/thing)  >The poor guy’s nothing but a vegetable—why don’t the doctors just pull the plug?  >The government’s pulled the plug on that child-care program.

PLUGGED

—   plugged in(to) (colloq.): having a continual source of information (about), have connections with  >That lobbyist is really plugged into what’s going on in Washington.  >Get Sweeney to ask the front office people about it—he’s plugged in there.

PLUGGED NICKEL

—   [neg.] a plugged nickel (colloq.): no money at all  >They didn’t pay me a plugged nickel for my time.  >This piece of junk isn’t worth a plugged nickel.

PLUM

—   plum1 (colloq.): highly prized reward or privilege, very desirable position (also. adj.)  >That vice-presidency is quite a plum for an ambitious guy.  >Why does Murray get all the plum assignments while I get the boring stuff?

—   plum2 (see “PLUMB”)

PLUMB

—   plumb (colloq.): absolute, complete, exact (esp. in neg. contexts) (also adv.)  >He’s a plumb fool to go there at night by himself.  >It landed plumb in the middle.  >Robbins is plumb crazy if he thinks we’ll go along with that.

PLUMBING

—   plumbing (sl., freq. hum.): digestive system  >He needs a laxative to clean out his plumbing.

PLUNGE

—   take the plunge (colloq.): take a course of action (after a period of deliberation or hesitancy)  >Herb was a confirmed bachelor until he met Carrie—then he decided to take the plunge and get married.

PLUNK

—   plunk down (plungk ...) (vt) (colloq.): pay (a sum of money) (esp. in a daring or sacrificing way)  >Abe plunked down two grand for that fancy watch.

PLUS

 *    plus (colloq.): and, also  >He’s a really nice guy, plus he’s rich.

—   have ... plus (colloq.): have ... to an impressive degree  >She’s got personality plus.

PLUSH

 *    plush (plush) (colloq.): showy and expensive, luxurious  >They’re staying at some plush hotel downtown.

PLUSHY

—   plushy (plush´ē) (colloq.): showy and expensive, luxurious  >They spent a week at a plushy resort in Florida.

POCKET

—   in [one’s] pocket (colloq.): under [one’s] control or influence  >That land developer has three city council members in his pocket.

POCKETS

—   line [one’s] (own) pockets (see LINE)

P.O.’D

 *    P.O.’d (pē´ōd´) (= “pissed off”) (sl.): angry, irritated  >Harry’s P.O.’d because we didn’t invite him.

PODUNK

—   Podunk (pō´dungk) (colloq.): a remote and insignificant town  >She left Podunk for Chicago when she was eighteen.

—   Podunk U. (colloq.): a remote and insignificant college or university  >Yale? Ha! He got his degree from Podunk U.

POINTS

 *    make points (with) (colloq.): gain favor (with), obsequiously impress, ingratiate (oneself) (to)  >Merv thinks he’s making points with the boss by agreeing with everything she says.

POINTY-HEADED

—   pointy-headed (sl., pej.): intellectual (esp. as a neg. trait)  >He don’t like them pointy-headed lawyers tellin’ him what to do.

POISON

—   poison (sl.): hard liquor  >Give me a shot of that poison you’re drinkin’ there.  >Name your poison!

POKE

—   poke (vt) (vulg.): have sex with (a woman)  >He said he was gonna poke her tonight.

 *    poke around (vi) (colloq.): pry, meddle, investigate (without invitation)  >Some private detective’s been poking around here asking a lot of questions.

—   stick/poke [one’s] nose in(to) (see STICK)

POKEY

—   the pokey (see POKY)

POKY

—   the poky (... pō´kē) (sl.): jail, prison  >He’s back in the poky for violatin’ his parole.

POL

—   pol (pol) (colloq.): politician (esp. seen as neg.)  >The pols will meet and divide up the funds among themselves.

POLACK

 *    Polack (pō´läk/pō´lak) (sl., pej.): Pole, Polish, Polish-American  >Grandpa always said the Polacks lived in that part of town.  >He hates Polack jokes.

POLI SCI

 *    poli sci (po´lē sī´) (colloq.): political science (esp. as a course of study)  >She changed her major to poli sci.

POLISH

 *    polish off (po´lish …) (vt) (colloq.): finish off (esp. food or drink)  >Let’s polish off the casserole so we don’t have leftovers.

POLLUTED

—   polluted (sl.): drunk, intoxicated  >He got real polluted at the wedding reception and embarrassed the bride. 

POND                             

—   the pond (colloq.): the Atlantic Ocean (between North America and Great Britain)  >They spell it different on the other side of the pond.  >We call them French fries on this side of the pond. 

PONY

—   pony (colloq.): racehorse  >He likes to bet on the ponies.

—   pony up (vt, vi) (colloq.): pay, contribute one’s share (of money)  >He had to pony up over five grand to enroll in that course.  >Come on and pony up. No one gets in for free.

POOCH

—   pooch (pūch) (colloq.): dog (also voc.)  >What a pretty pooch! What’s its name?  >Come here, pooch!

—   screw the pooch (see SCREW)

POOH-POOH

—   pooh-pooh (pū´pū´) (vt) (colloq.): express disdain for, make light of, belittle  >Don’t pooh-pooh the idea—I’m serious.

POONTANG

—   poontang1 (pūn´tang) (vulg., pej.): woman or women (seen as sex object[s])  >He said he was goin’ to a bar to pick up some poontang.

—   poontang2 (vulg.): sexual intercourse (with a woman) (freq. used with some or any)  >He says he got some poontang last night.

POOP

 *    poop1 (pūp) (sl.): excrement, dung  >There’s dog poop on the lawn.

—   poop2 (sl.): pertinent information, news (esp. when confidential or little known)  >What’s the poop? Is he gonna retire or not?  >Give me the poop on the new supervisor.

 *    poop3 (vi) (sl.): defecate  >Mommy, Cindy just pooped in her diaper. 

—   poop! (sl.): (interj. to express anger, irritation or disappointment)  >Oh, poop! I just broke my glasses. 

**   poop (out) (vt) (sl.): tire out, exhaust, fatigue  >That exercise class really pooped me out.  >Let me rest awhile—I’m pooped.

POOPER-SCOOPER

 *    pooper-scooper (pū´pәr skū´pәr) (colloq.): small shovel-like device for picking up dog excrement (esp. when one is walking the dog in a public place)  >Be sure to bring the pooper-scooper in case Buck poo-poos again.

POO-POO

—   poo-poo1 (pū´pū´) (colloq.): excrement, dung (used esp. with children)  >Clean the poo-poo off your shoe.

—   poo-poo2 (vi) (colloq.): defecate (used esp. with children)  >Now, you tell me if you need to poo-poo.

—   poo-poo3 (see “POOH-POOH”)

POOR

—   poor bastard (see BASTARD)

 *    poor excuse (for/of) a/an (colloq.): an inferior specimen or unworthy example (of) a/an  >He’s a poor excuse for a man if he doesn’t stick up for his wife.

—   poor slob (see SLOB)

POOR WHITE TRASH

 *    poor white trash (colloq., pej.): poor white person/people with little education (esp. from a rural environment) (seen as contemptible)  >She’s so afraid her darling Herbert’s going to marry some poor white trash.

POP

 *    pop1 (colloq.): carbonated beverage, soft drink, soda  >You want a beer or a pop?  >Do I have to pay a deposit on the pop bottles?

—   pop2 (colloq.): father (also voc.)  >My pop works in that factory.  >Can I borrow the car, Pop?

—   Pop3 (voc.) (colloq.): old man  >Watch out there, Pop, or you’ll get hurt.

 *    pop4 (vt) (sl.): take (pills) (esp. habitually)  >He’s been poppin’ pain pills for years.

—   pop5 (vt) (colloq.): hit, strike  >He was mouthing off so I popped him one.

—   pop6 (vt) (sl.): shoot  >He just pulled out a gun and popped the dude.

**   pop7 (colloq.): popular, appealing to the general public  >That tune was number four on the pop music survey last week.  >That snob says she hates pop culture.

 *    a pop (sl.): apiece, each  >How many silk shirts ya think I can afford at eighty bucks a pop?

—   pop [s/one’s] cherry (vulg.): take away [s/one’s] virginity, deflower [s/one]  >He claims he’s the one that popped her cherry when she was just sixteen.

—   pop/blow [one’s] cork (see CORK)

—   pop for (sl.): pay for, accept the expense of  >Since you bought the drinks, I’ll pop for dinner.

 *    pop in/by (colloq.): appear for a brief visit, stop by (esp. unexpectedly)  >Martha said she’d pop in some time to see how Mom’s doing.  >Jeff popped by this morning to say hi.

—   pop off (vi) (sl.): speak forcefully or inconsiderately  >I’m tired of that jerk poppin’ off about what a bad job we’re doin’.

—   pop the clutch (colloq.): engage the clutch (of a vehicle) instantaneously (esp. to cause the tires to squeal on the pavement)  >He popped the clutch and roared off.

 *    pop the question (sl.): ask (s/one) to marry (one), propose marriage  >Wish me luck—I’m gonna pop the question to Lucy tonight.

 *    pop up (vi) (colloq.): appear (esp. suddenly, unexpectedly, or repeatedly)  >He popped up in Wyoming after vanishing for over a year.  >That kind of restaurant’s been popping up all over the country.

POPPA

—   poppa (see “PAPA”)

POP QUIZ

—   pop quiz (colloq.): unexpected or unannounced quiz (in school)  >The teacher gave us a pop quiz today, and I know I did lousy on it.

POPS

—   Pops (voc.) (colloq.): old man  >Hey, Pops, come over here for a second.

PORK

—   pork (vt) (vulg.): have sex with  >I don’t really believe he porked her in the back seat of his car.

PORK BARREL

—   pork barrel (colloq.): government project or funds assigned for political reasons  >The congressman worked hard on that pork barrel legislation. He thinks it’ll get him reelected.

PORKY

—   porky (pôr´kē/pōr´kē) (colloq.): fat, obese (also voc.)  >Why don’t they put that porky kid on a diet?  >You ought to lose a few pounds, porky!

PORN

**   porn (pôrn) (colloq.): pornography (also adj.)  >He made his money selling porn.  >She was featured in some porn magazine.

PORNO

**   porno (pôr´nō) (colloq.): pornographic  >He rented a couple of porno videos. 

POSSE

—   [one’s] posse (... pos´ē) (sl.): [one’s] group of friends or usual companions  >Him and his posse showed up uninvited to the party. 

POSSUM

 *    play possum (... pos´әm) (colloq.): pretend to be asleep or dead  >He ain’t asleep—he’s just playing possum.  >Did you kill it, or is it just playing possum?

POSTAL

—   go postal (sl.): become violently furious, lose emotional control due to anger  >He went postal when she called him a liar, and it took three people to calm him down.

POSTER CHILD/BOY/GIRL

—   poster child/boy/girl (colloq.): person/male/female who serves as a perfect example or is the epitome (of s/thing)  >He’s a crook that’s the poster child for the need for tougher sentences.  >That corrupt governor is the poster boy for our political reform campaign.

POSTOP

—   postop (pōst´op´) (colloq.): the postoperative recuperation ward or room of a hospital (also adj.)  >He’s resting comfortably in postop.  >Postop care is real important with this kind of surgery.

POT

**   pot1 (sl.): marijuana  >All her worthless son wants to do is smoke pot.

 *    pot2 (sl.): large and round stomach, potbelly  >Look at the pot Darrin’s got on him from drinkin’ so much beer!

 *    go to pot (colloq.): deteriorate, become ruined  >The whole program’s gone to pot since it lost its federal funding.

—   not have a pot to piss in (... pis ...) (sl., freq. vulg.): have nothing to one’s name, be destitute, be very poor  >Where’s he gonna get the dough? He ain’t got a pot to piss in.

 *    the pot (sl.): the toilet  >He said he was sittin’ on the pot when the earthquake hit.

POTGUT

—   potgut (sl.): large and round stomach, potbelly  >I better cut down on the beer—I’m gettin’ a potgut.

POTHEAD

 *    pothead (sl.): habitual marijuana smoker  >That pothead’s not interested in findin’ a job.

POTLUCK

—   take potluck (colloq.): choose from what is available, accept leftovers  >By the time we get there all the good seats will be taken, so we’ll have to take potluck.

POTSHOT

 *    take a potshot (at) (colloq.): make an unfair or ill-considered critical remark (about), criticize (s/one) irresponsibly or treacherously  >That columnist loves to criticize. He takes potshots at everybody in politics.

POTTED

—   potted (pot´әd) (sl.): drunk  >She was pretty potted by the end of the party.

POTTY

 *    potty (pot´ē) (colloq.): toilet, bathroom  >Can I use your potty?

 *    go potty (colloq.): urinate or defecate (used esp. with small children)  >Find a bathroom—I think Janey’s got to go potty. 

POTTY MOUTH

—   potty mouth (sl.): speaking using vulgar language, tendency to use obscene or dirty words  >I guess my potty mouth shocked a few folks at the club meeting. 

POUND

 *    pound (vt) (sl.): defeat decisively  >We pounded ‘em, eleven to nothin’.

—   pound the pavement (colloq.): walk the streets (esp. to accomplish a task)  >Get out there and pound the pavement—you’re not going to sell any subscriptions just sitting around.

POUNDING

 *    take a pounding (colloq.): suffer a severe loss or defeat  >His business is taking a pounding during the recession.  >The Yankees took a pounding last night.

POUR

 *    pour it on (colloq.): proceed with greater determination, intensify (one’s) efforts  >They poured it on the last five minutes and came from behind to win.

 *    pour on (vt) (colloq.): apply with great determination, do intensely (esp. a dramatic gesture)  >When Rodney pours on the charm, he can persuade anybody to do anything.  >She really poured on the poor innocent victim act on the witness stand.

POWDER

—   powder [one’s] nose (colloq.): use the bathroom (said of women)  >Betty’ll be right back—she’s just powdering her nose.

—   take a powder (sl.): leave quickly, escape  >When the security guard showed up, they took a powder.

POWERFUL

—   powerful (colloq.): very, quite  >She’s a powerful good-looking woman.  >They’ve got a powerful lot of money.

POWER TRIP

 *    power trip (sl.): activity or behavior where (one) makes a display of (his/her) power or authority  >He’s been on a power trip, givin’ orders right and left, ever since they put him in charge.

POWWOW

—   powwow1 (pou´wou´) (colloq.): conference, meeting  >The managers are having a powwow right now about how to deal with this.

—   powwow2 (vi) (colloq.): confer, meet  >We powwowed about it and decided to give him another chance.

PRAYER

 *    [neg.] have a prayer (colloq.): [neg.] have any chance at all  >That team doesn’t have a prayer of winning the championship this year.  >He never had a prayer against the champ.

PRECIOUS

—   precious (voc.) (colloq.): sweetheart, dear  >Anything you say, precious.

PREEMIE

 *    preemie (prē´mē) (colloq.): prematurely born infant  >She was a preemie and weighed only three pounds at birth.

PRELAW

 *    prelaw1 (prē´lô´) (colloq.): study program in preparation for law school  >He’s doing prelaw because his father’s a lawyer.

 *    prelaw2 (colloq.): involved in a study program in preparation for law school  >Are you prelaw, too?

PRELIM

 *    prelim (prē´lim) (colloq.): preliminary exam (esp. in a doctoral program)  >You got to pass the prelims before they’ll let you go on with the program.

PREMED

 *    premed1 (prē´med´) (colloq.): premedical study program  >Organic chemistry’s a requirement for premed.

 *    premed2 (colloq.): involved in a premedical study program  >Jason’s a music major, and his sister’s premed.

PREMIE

—   premie (see “PREEMIE”)

PRENUP

—   prenup (prē´nup´) (colloq.): prenuptial agreement  >He had her sign a prenup before he’d marry her.

PREP

 *    prep (prep) (vi, vt) (colloq.): prepare, get ready  >He knows how to prep for exams.  >The patient’s prepped for surgery.

PREPPY

 *    preppy (prep´ē) (colloq.): person who dresses or behaves like a traditional preparatory school student, person who prefers a casual but high-quality clothing style (also adj.)  >He’s a preppy that doesn’t want anything to do with the middle-class kids.  >Here she comes in her preppy shorts and sweater.

PRESS

—   press the flesh (colloq.): shake hands (esp. repeatedly, esp. for political gain)  >The candidate’s out pressing the flesh at the factory today.

PRESSER

—   presser (colloq.): press conference  >The candidate made some controversial statements in his presser yesterday. 

PRETEND

 *    pretend (colloq.): make-believe, simulated  >Don’t worry—it’s just a pretend gun.

PRETTY

**   pretty (colloq.): in a pleasing way, beautifully  >She sure sings pretty.

 *    a pretty penny (colloq.): a large amount of money  >Paul’s going to make a pretty penny on that real estate deal.

 *    (as) pretty as a picture (colloq.): very pretty  >Your little girl is pretty as a picture in that new dress.

—   be sitting pretty (see SITTING)

—   pretty please (with sugar on it)! (colloq.): (intens. of “please!”)  >Oh, let me go, too, pretty please with sugar on it!

PRETTYBOY

—   prettyboy (colloq.): young and handsome man (esp. seen as vain) (also voc.)  >Does that prettyboy think all the girls want him?  >Get out of here, prettyboy! This is work for a real man.

PREZ

—   prez (prez) (colloq.): president  >If that’s what the prez wants, that’s what the prez’ll get.

PRICK

 *    prick1 (vulg.): contemptible or reprehensible person (esp. a man) (also voc.)  >I’m not lettin’ that prick get away with it.  >Get outta here, prick!

 *    prick2 (vulg.): penis  >He says he’s got a rash on his prick.

PRICK-TEASER

—   prick-teaser (vulg.): woman who arouses a man sexually without allowing him to have sex with her, sexually flirtatious woman  >I ain’t buyin’ no more drinks for that prick-teaser.

PRIMO

—   primo (prē´mō) (sl.): first-class, most valued  >This place’s the primo nightclub in town.  >He’s a primo player in this law firm.

PRINCE

—   prince (colloq.): admirable and likable person (esp. a man), fine man  >You’ll really like Curt—he’s a prince.

PRIOR

—   prior (colloq.): prior criminal conviction  >Edwards is going to do some hard time in prison because he’s got three priors.

PRIVATE EYE

 *    private eye (colloq.): private investigator, private detective  >She hired a private eye to follow her husband.

PRIVATES

 *    [one’s] privates (colloq.): [one’s] genitals  >Those guys were wearing tiny bathing suits that barely covered their privates.

PRIZE

 *    be no prize (colloq.): be s/thing of little value, be a person of few qualities  >The job they offered me is no prize, but it’s better than nothing.  >I tell you, that clown she married is no prize.

PRO

**   pro1 (prō) (colloq.): professional, expert (also adj.)  >He’ll do it right—he’s a pro.  >He played pro basketball for two years.

—   pro2 (colloq.): prostitute  >That flashy blonde on the corner looks like a pro.

PROB

—   prob (prob) (colloq.): problem  >Hey, what’s the prob here?

PROBLEM

**   have a problem with (colloq.): not accept completely, have a doubt or reservation about  >To tell you the truth, I have a problem with your explanation of how the money disappeared.  >The boss has problems with him being put in charge.

**   no problem (colloq.): you’re welcome, that’s all right  >Hey, no problem—that’s what friends are for.

PRODUCTION

 *    make a big production out of (colloq.): exaggerate the importance or seriousness of, give excessive attention to  >He didn’t mean anything by what he said. Don’t make a big production out of it.  >They made a big production out of their daughter’s sixteenth birthday party.

PROF

 *    prof (prof) (colloq.): professor  >He’s a psych prof at the university.

PROGRAM

 *    get with the program (colloq.): start participating (in s/thing) seriously, start making significant contributions (to s/thing)  >If Charlie doesn’t get with the program pretty soon, he’s going to find hisself out of a job.

PROMO

 *    promo (prō´mō) (colloq.): promotion (of a product), promotional  >He gave us a promo of the car.  >They’re going to show us some promo film about their company.

PRONTO

—   pronto (pron´tō) (colloq.): quickly, promptly, right away  >Get that report to me pronto!

PROPER

—   proper (colloq.): thoroughly, mercilessly  >I told her off proper.  >He got beat up proper.

PROPOSE

 *    propose (vi) (colloq.): propose marriage  >He bought a ring and is going to propose to Suzy tonight.

PROPOSITION

 *    proposition1 (colloq.): invitation or proposition to have sex (esp. an indecent one)  >When he made the proposition, she slapped his face.

 *    proposition2 (vt) (colloq.): invite or propose to (s/one) to have sex (esp. indecently)  >He was standing on the corner propositioning practically every woman that walked by. 

PROPS

—   props (props) (sl.): proper respect, deserved recognition  >I give him his props for handlin’ that problem so well. 

PROS

**   the pros (... prōz) (colloq.): professional sports, professional sports people  >You got to really be good to play in the pros.  >The pros have been watching him.

PROTECTION

—   protection (colloq.): money paid to ensure against threatened violence or arrest  >Sam’s been paying a hundred bucks a week protection to make sure he can do business.

PS

—   mind [one’s] Ps and Qs (see MIND)

PSYCH

 *    psych (sīk) (colloq.): psychology (esp. as a course of study)  >Ellen got an A in psych last semester.

 *    psych out1 (vt) (sl.): intimidate, undermine the confidence of, unnerve  >Don’t let that bigmouth psych ya out—you can beat him.

 *    psych out2 (vt) (sl.): determine the motives of, understand how (s/one’s) mind works  >I think I finally got that weird guy psyched out.

 *    psych up (vt) (sl.): prepare mentally and emotionally for a maximum effort or performance, excite and enthuse (to do s/thing)  >I gotta get psyched up for the oral exam.  >The fans at the rally psyched the team up for tomorrow’s big game.

PSYCHO

 *    psycho (sī´kō) (sl.): psychopath, crazy person (esp. one tending toward violence)  >She’s afraid some psycho’s gonna attack her.

P.U.

 *    P.U.! (colloq.): (interj. to express disgust for a bad smell)  >P.U.! Something smells awful!

PUCKER

—   pucker up (vi) (colloq.): pucker the lips (for a kiss)  >She puckered up and gave him a big kiss.

PUD

—   pud (pud/pŭd) (vulg.): penis  >The kid was playin’ with his pud.

PUDDLE-JUMPER

—   puddle-jumper (colloq.): aircraft or flight that makes frequent stops  >I’m going to have to take a puddle-jumper from Cheyenne to Seattle.

PUKE

 *    puke1 (pyūk) (sl.): vomit  >Don’t step in that puke in the gutter!

—   puke2 (sl.): contemptible or reprehensible person or thing  >I don’t want nothin’ to do with that puke.  >He’s been readin’ a lot of pornographic puke.

 *    puke (up) (vi, vt) (sl.): vomit  >I almost puked when I heard they gave that dummy a promotion.  >He puked up everything he’d drunk.

PUKEY

—   pukey (pyū´kē) (sl.): disgusting, contemptible  >Keep your pukey hands off me!

PULL

 *    pull1 (colloq.): influence, support of influential associates  >They’ll listen to Sanders—she’s got pull down at city hall.

—   pull2 (colloq.): drawing power, attractive qualities  >This movie’s going to have a lot of pull among teenagers.

 *    pull3 (vt) (colloq.): do (s/thing deceitful or censurable)  >I didn’t like that trick you pulled.  >Mason always tries to pull something funny when his wife’s not around.

—   pull4 (vt) (colloq.): earn or receive (a grade)  >I pulled a B+ on the final.

—   pull a/the ... (see entry under ... noun)

—   pull a [s/one’s name] (colloq.): do (s/thing) typical of or identified with [s/one’s] behavior  >He pulled a Superman and lifted the crate all by himself.

—   pull [s/one’s] chain1 (sl.): deceive or mislead [s/one]  >Don’t go pullin’ Lou’s chain ‘cause he knows how to play rough.

—   pull [s/one’s] chain2 (sl.): harass [s/one], provoke [s/one]  >Rocky’s been pullin’ Rob’s chain just to get him mad.

—   pull down (vt) (colloq.): receive as salary or income  >Hart pulls down over a hundred grand a year as manager.

—   pull in (vt) (colloq.): take into custody, arrest  >The cops pulled her in for questioning.

 *    pull [s/one’s] leg (colloq.): trick or tease [s/one], tell [s/one] a false story for fun  >Did I really win, or are you just pulling my leg?

 *    pull off (vt) (colloq.): do successfully, accomplish (esp. s/thing difficult)  >If we can pull this off, we’ll be rich and famous.  >The robbers pulled off a big bank heist.

—   pull [s/thing] out of [one’s] ass (vulg.): surprisingly achieve remembering [s/thing], succeed in [s/thing] unexpectedly  >I don’t know how I got the answer to that one on the test; I just pulled it outta my ass.  >We pulled that win outta our ass, because they outplayed us.

*     pull [one’s] (own) weight (colloq.): do [one’s] fair share of work, fulfill [one’s] responsibilities  >We’re going have to fire you because you haven’t been pulling your weight around here.  >She doesn’t have to work too hard as long as she pulls her own weight.

—   [neg.] pull [one’s]/any punches (colloq.): treat (s/one) harshly, act without restraint or mercy  >When that senator questions a witness in a hearing, he doesn’t pull his punches—he grills them.  >She never pulls any punches when she’s on the attack.

—   pull rank (on) (see RANK)

—   pull (some) strings (see STRINGS)

—   pull up stakes (see STAKES)

PULP

—   beat [s/one, s/thing] to a pulp (see BEAT)

PULVERIZE

—   pulverize (pul´vәr īz) (vt) (sl.): defeat decisively  >They pulverized us, ninety-nine to fifty-eight.

PUMP

—   pump1 (colloq.): heart  >How’s the old pump sound, Doc?

 *    pump2 (vt) (colloq.): question unrelentlessly  >The detectives pumped him for information for over an hour before letting him go.

 *    pump iron (colloq.): lift weights (for bodybuilding)  >Look at those biceps! I see her pumping iron at the gym all the time.

 *    pump up (vt) (colloq.): excite, enthuse  >They pump the customer up about the car before they talk about the price.

PUMPED

—   pumped (colloq.): excited, enthusiastic  >The players were really pumped after the coach’s pep talk.

PUMPKIN

—   pumpkin (voc.) (colloq.): dear, sweetheart  >You know I love you, pumpkin.

PUNCH

—   beat [s/one] to the punch (see BEAT)

—   pack a punch/wallop (see PACK)

—   punch/put [s/one’s] lights out (see LIGHTS)

—   punch it (sl.): immediately apply full power or acceleration (to s/thing)  >When the light turned green he punched it and laid rubber across the intersection.

 *    punch out (vt) (colloq.): knock unconscious, beat up  >Some guy in a bar punched him out with one blow.

PUNCH-DRUNK

—   punch-drunk (colloq.): dazed, very tired mentally  >I came out of my three-hour oral exam punch-drunk.

PUNCHES

—   [neg.] pull [one’s]/any punches (see PULL)

—   roll with the punches (see ROLL)

PUNCHING BAG

—   punching bag (colloq.): person who is habitually beaten or mistreated  >Grace got tired of being her husband’s punching bag and had him arrested.

PUNK

 *    punk1 (pungk) (sl.): petty hoodlum, minor criminal (esp. a young one)  >You keep hangin’ around with them punks and you’re gonna get in trouble with the law.

 *    punk2 (sl.): contemptible young person (esp. seen as inexperienced or ineffectual)  >You think any of these punks could get the job done?

 *    punk3 (sl.): characteristic of a shockingly unconventional and aggressive style of dress and behavior or music  >Their pink punk hair and weird punk clothes make ‘em look real strange.  >How can ya stand that punk rock music?  >That real weird guy’s a punk rocker.

—   punk4 (vt) (sl.): humiliate by outsmarting or outmaneuvering  >Face it! That con man punked ya.  >I can’t believe that businessman got punked by some flunky salesman.

PUNKER

 *    punker (pung´kәr) (sl.): person who follows a shockingly unconventional and aggressive style of dress and behavior or music  >That new band drew every punker in town to its concert.

PUNT

—   punt (vi) (colloq.): avoid taking action  >They didn’t want to deal with the issue, so they punted and referred it to another committee.

PUPPY LOVE

 *    puppy love (colloq.): adolescent love or romantic infatuation  >Paul’s crazy about some girl at school, but it’s just puppy love.

PURPLE

—   with a purple passion (colloq.): ardently, impassionedly  >He hates drunk drivers with a purple passion.

PURTY

—   purty (pûr´tē) (colloq.): pretty, attractive  >That’s a purty wife you got there, Clem.

PUSH

**   push1 (vt) (sl.): sell or peddle (illegal drugs)  >He pushes crack cocaine over by the school.

 *    push2 (vt) (colloq.): promote or sell  >Who’s that actress that pushes vitamins on TV?

—   push a pencil (colloq.): be a low-ranking bureaucrat, work at an insignificant desk job (cf. “PENCIL-PUSHER”)  >Don’t you want to do something more than push a pencil the rest of your life?

**   push around (vt) (colloq.): boss around, bully, control through intimidation  >That gutsy old guy doesn’t let anyone push him around.

—   push [s/one’s] buttons (sl.): provoke a reaction in [s/one] (regarding s/thing of special sensitivity to him/her) (esp. a reaction of anger)  >She knows how to push his buttons by mentionin’ his ex-wife.

 *    push it (colloq.): take too great a risk (after an easier success), go too far  >Two weeks off? You should be happy I’m letting you have one, so don’t push it.  >Driving twelve hours straight is pushing it, if you ask me.

 *    push [one’s] luck (colloq.): take too great a risk (after an easier success), go too far  >You got your mom to lend you the car. Don’t push your luck by asking her for money, too.  >You’d better stop yelling at that big guy—you’re pushing your luck.

—   push off (vi) (colloq.): leave, depart  >I got to push off. Later!

—   push paper (colloq.): be a low-ranking bureaucrat, work at an insignificant desk job (cf. “PAPER-PUSHER”)  >He pushes paper for some insurance company.

—   hit/push the panic button (see PANIC BUTTON)

 *    when/if push comes to shove (colloq.): when/if the critical moment comes (to resolve a conflict), when/if (s/one’s) will must be imposed  >He may think he’s controlling things, but when push comes to shove I’m going to come out on top.

PUSHER

**   pusher (sl.): seller or peddler of illegal drugs  >They arrested every pusher and user they could find.

PUSHING

 *    pushing (vt) (colloq.): approaching or almost (a number)  >Grandpa’s pushing ninety, and he’s still real sharp.  >Boy, is it hot! It’s pushing a hundred and ten degrees in the shade.

—   pushing up daisies (colloq.): dead and buried  >He’ll be pushing up daisies if he messes with those gangsters.

PUSHOVER

 *    pushover1 (pŭsh´ō´vәr) (colloq.): person who is easily persuaded or prevailed over  >I’ll get the twenty dollars from my dad—he’s a pushover.  >The challenger will be a pushover for the champ.

—   pushover2 (colloq.): easy thing to do  >Getting the old man’s OK will be a pushover.

PUSHY

 *    pushy (pŭsh´ē) (colloq.): bossy, bully-like, intimidating  >Tell that pushy jerk that he has to wait his turn.

PUSS

—   puss (pŭs) (sl.): face  >The ball hit him right in the puss.

PUSSY

 *    pussy1 (pŭs´ē) (vulg.): vagina  >She covered her pussy with her hand.

 *    pussy2 (vulg., pej.): woman or women (seen as sex object[s])  >He said he was looking over the pussy at the party.

 *    pussy3 (vulg.): sexual intercourse (with a woman) (freq. used with some or any)  >He said he got some pussy last night.

—   pussy4 (vulg.): cowardly or overly timid man  >Just tell your wife you’re goin’ out for a few beers, and stop bein’ such a pussy!

PUSSYCAT

 *    pussycat (pŭs´ē kat´) (colloq.): gentle or harmless person (esp. despite outward appearances)  >Leo just talks tough—he’s really a pussycat, especially with kids.

PUSSYFOOT

 *    pussyfoot (around) (pŭs´ē fŭt´...) (vi) (colloq.): act hesitant or evasive, be overly cautious or timid, not be assertive  >Stop pussyfooting around and get to the point!  >You can’t pussyfoot with someone who’s threatening you. 

PUSSY HOUND

—   pussy hound (pŭs´ē …) (vulg.): man obsessed with having sex with women  >Jake’s a real pussy hound, always ready for a piece of ass. 

PUSSY-WHIPPED

—   pussy-whipped (pŭs´ē hwipt´/wipt´) (vulg.): dominated by a woman, henpecked (said of a man)  >Morris is so pussy-whipped that when his wife says “jump,” he asks “how high?”

PUT

—   put (a/the/[one’s]/[s/one’s]) ... (see entry under ... noun)

—   get/put [s/thing] across (see ACROSS)

 *    put away1 (vt) (colloq.): eat or drink (esp. quickly or in large amounts)  >Teenagers can really put food away.  >He can put away a couple of six-packs of beer in one night.

 *    put away2 (vt) (colloq.): confine to an institution  >She went crazy and they had to put her away.  >This conviction will put Hotchkiss away for ten years.

—   put away3 (vt) (colloq.): defeat, ensure victory over  >They put us away with six runs in the seventh inning.  >We can put away the competition with this new product.

 *    put down (vt) (colloq.): belittle, criticize, speak badly of, humiliate  >That insensitive slob is always putting people down.  >You shouldn’t have put her down like that in front of her friends.

—   put in [one’s] two cents (worth) (see TWO CENTS)

—   put it there! (colloq.): shake hands! (said while the right hand is extended)  >Congratulations! Put it there!

—   put it to1 (sl.): harm through deceit or malice, badly mistreat  >The loan company really put it to ‘em on that deal.

—   put it to2 (vulg.): have sex with (a woman)  >He’s a jealous husband, always thinkin’ somebody’s puttin’ it to his old lady.

**   put on (vt) (colloq.): tease, fool, joke with, subject to a hoax  >Are you really related to the governor, or are you just putting me on?

—   put on the dog (see DOG)

—   put on the feedbag (see FEEDBAG)

—   put on the map (vt) (colloq.): make famous or well-known, draw attention to  >This new product will really put our company on the map.

—   put [s/one] on to (colloq.): make [s/one] aware of, inform [s/one] of, introduce [s/one] to  >Gerry put me on to a great Chinese restaurant downtown.  >I’m going to put you on to a friend of mine that might be able to help you.

—   put out (vi) (vulg.): readily have sex, grant sexual favors (said of a woman)  >They say she puts out if you’re nice to her.

—   put out the welcome mat (for) (see WELCOME MAT)

—   put [s/one] out to pasture (colloq.): fire [s/one] (considered too old), force [s/one] to retire  >The company put some of the older execs out to pasture and hired a bunch of young guys.

 *    put [s/thing] over on [s/one] (colloq.): deceive [s/one] with [s/thing], carry out [s/thing] by fooling [s/one]  >He put the deal over on us before we knew what was happening.  >You can’t put anything over on that smart kid.

—   put that in your pipe and smoke it! (see PIPE)

—   put two and two together (see TWO)

 *    put up or shut up (sl.): prove (s/thing) or stop saying (it), support (one’s assertions) or keep quiet (used esp. as a command)  >I’m tired of ya callin’ my friends crooks, so put up or shut up!

 *    put [s/one] up to [doing s/thing] (colloq.): persuade or incite [s/one] to [do s/thing], get [s/one] to [do s/thing]  >Who put you up to calling her those names?

—   stay put (see STAY)

—   tell [s/one] where to put/stick [s/thing] (see WHERE)

 *    wouldn’t put it past [s/one] (to [do s/thing]) (colloq.): would not be surprised if [s/one] ([did s/thing]), believe [s/one] presumptuous or daring enough (to [do s/thing])  >I wouldn’t put it past that jerk to try and take credit for the whole thing.  >Grover, lie to us? I wouldn’t put it past him.

PUT-DOWN

 *    put-down (colloq.): criticism, insult, humiliation  >What a put-down when she called him a six-foot wimp!

PUT-ON

 *    put-on (colloq.): hoax, spoof, pretense  >That comedian’s famous for his put-ons about politicians.  >That bit about her being educated in Europe is nothing but a put-on.

PUTTY

—   be putty in [s/one’s] hands (colloq.): be easily manipulated by [s/one]  >He’s so in love with her that he’s putty in her hands.

PUTZ

—   putz (puts) (sl.): obnoxious or contemptibly stupid person, fool  >I can’t believe that dumb putz thinks anyone’s really gonna read his stupid blog.