Appendix:Glossary of idioms – P

Here are some editors' picks of popular and picturesque idioms and similes in the English language: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Idiom	Where Used	Meaning
pain in the ass; pain in the butt; pain in the neck	Global	A nuisance; a source of trouble or annoyance.
pad out	Global	To add trivial content in order to make something seem more substantial.
pass the buck	Global (USA, esp. Southern)	To lay responsibility on to another party so they will get the blame. Orig. poker jargon.
pass with flying colors	Global	To succeed in the best way possible.
passing fancy	Global	A temporary liking for someone or something.
pay through the nose (for something)	Global	Pay an unusually large amount of money for something.
peace and quiet	Global	Tranquility; freedom from stress or interruptions.
peg the suckometer, or peg the [adjective]-ometer	USA	To suck as much as possible, or to be as decriptive as it is possible to be, sometimes ironically; examples are, "That really pegged the suckometer" (about, e.g., a bad movie), or "My fun-meter's pegged" (ironic: I'm no longer having fun).
penny for your thoughts	Global	A phrase used to ask a person what they are thinking.
penny-pinching	Global	Being frugal with one's money, avoiding unnecessary expenses (can also mean stingy).
penny wise, pound foolish	UK	Cautious with small amounts of money but wasteful with large amounts. This expression is usually used when discussing short-sighted parsimony (example: "The manager's decision to save money by cutting the maintenance budget was penny wise, pound foolish.")
pick up the tab	AUS, USA	To accept a charge and pay for it, especially for a restaurant meal.
piece of cake	Global	Something done very easily.
(to have a) pink slip	UK USA	To be authorised to do something not normally allowed e.g. "I've got a pink slip from my wife to let me go out drinking this evening." To be discharged from employment - see pink slip.
piping hot	Global	Very hot
pissing contest	USA	To be in extreme competition. May be used literally or metaphorically. When used literally it refers to a competition in which two or more people, usually (but not exclusively) male, urinate with the intention of producing the stream with the furthest distance. When used metaphorically it typically refers to a relatively meaningless (perceivably entertaining) event or act in which people try to outdo one another, e.g. "What started out as a rational debate quickly degenerated into a pissing contest." (Sometimes vulgar)
(to) piss into the wind	Global	To continue with an ineffective action, usually against the natural flow of things, when it is clear that said action will have no useful result. An exercise in futility. See also: spit into the wind. (Sometimes vulgar)
(to) piss in one's cereal/soup/dish/food etc.	USA	To do something to annoy, anger or otherwise displease another. (Note: a specific name of food or specific brand may be named, as in, "Why do you always have to piss in my Cheerios?") (Sometimes vulgar)
to piss on one's own feet		To try to accomplish something beneficial to yourself but hurting yourself in the process so much that the original action is rendered worthless. (e.g. "There's no way I could have stolen Bill's TV because I was at home doing heroin that whole night.") Similar in meaning to 'shoot oneself in the foot'. (Sometimes vulgar)
play cat and mouse	Global	Amuse oneself or trifle with, toy with.
(to) play second fiddle	AUS, USA, UK	To play a subordinate role to another; to be upstaged.
(to) play one's ace	USA	To do the thing that one knows will bring success.
play the percentages	USA	To bet on the most likely occurance.
play the ponies	USA	To bet on horse racing.
play with fire	Global	Take part in a dangerous undertaking.
point of no return	Global	To have gone so far that it is impossible to go back.
point the finger at	Global	To accuse.
pop one's clogs	UK	To die.
pop the cherry	Global	To break the hymen; to lose one's virginity. Often a ribald metaphor. (Typically vulgar)
pop the question	Global	To propose marriage.
pot calling the kettle black	Global	Accusing someone else of something of which one is also guilty; to betray one's own hypocrisy. From the practice of cooking over an open fire, where soot would blacken any cooking containers so used.
pour salt into the wound	Global	To make a bad situation worse.
powder one's nose	AUS, UK, USA	To use the lavatory (restroom). E.g. "Excuse me while I go to powder my nose" (Refers to/Used by females)
preach to the choir, preach to the converted	Global	To declare something with which those present already agree.
(to) pull strings	Global	Using influence or personal connections to facilitate a favorable outcome. Usually implies that the outcome would not occur without said intervention.
(the one) pulling the strings	Global	Refers to the practice of those really in power limiting the authority of those who appear to be. An analogy to marionettes, which have the illusion of life because unseen puppeteers manipulate their limbs.
(to) pull one's leg	Global	Being facetious, or kidding around. Playfully lying.
puppies and rainbows		Eternal bliss, happy-go-lucky, child-like and carefree innocence. May also include: puppies and rainbows, butterflies, daisies, or bunnies.
puppy dog eyes	UK, USA	Refers to attempting to appeal to an authority figure (or someone who has the desired outcome) through empathic or sympathetic facial gestures and bodily mannerisms. Used more commonly in reference to a young child. From the concept of domesticated dogs giving their owners sympathetic looks when begging for food.
puppy love	Global	Adolescent love or infatuation, especially one that is not expected to last. Also called calf love.
push the envelope	AUS, USA	To approach the limits of normal behavior, to be exceptional.
pushing up daisies	Global	Dead and buried. This comes from the Western cultural practice of burying the deceased in a cemetery or memorial park, often with flowers or grass growing at the grave site.
(to) put a spanner in the works	AUS, UK	To cause an endeavour to fail, or to complicate things greatly.
(to) put a wrench in it	USA	To cause an endeavour to fail, or to complicate things greatly.
(to) put one's back into	Global	To make a strenuous effort to do something.
(to) put the cart before the horse	AUS, UK, USA	To start a task without adequate preparation or forethought. Alternately, to jump to conclusions.
(to) put one's foot in one's mouth	Global	Say something which is quickly regretted, usually offensive to someone else. Connotes speaking in ignorance or without appropriate forethought.
(to) put one's money where one's mouth is	Global	Back up one's opinions with practical action.
(to) put words into one's mouth	Global	Asserting that another person has certain feelings or opinions which the other person has not stated or confirmed (example: "My boss was putting words into my mouth when he told me what he thought I wanted to do.")