English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List of Idioms - P, page 13
from: 'punch above your weight'
to: 'put on ice'
- punch above your weight
- If you punch above your weight, you try to perform at a level that is beyond your ability.
"Emily submitted her idea for the 'invention of the year' award, knowing that she was punching above her weight."
- If you punch above your weight, you try to perform at a level that is beyond your ability.
- punch line
- The punch line is the funny sentence that ends a joke or an amusing story.
"When my dad tells jokes, he never gets the punch line right!"
- The punch line is the funny sentence that ends a joke or an amusing story.
- push the envelope
- When you push the envelope, you do something in an
extreme way or exceed the limits of what is considered acceptable.
"Some TV producers really push the envelope when they expose people's private lives."
- When you push the envelope, you do something in an
extreme way or exceed the limits of what is considered acceptable.
- push your luck
- If you , you try to get more than what you have already obtained and risk spoiling the situation.
"You've got your father's permission to go to the concert. Don't push your luck by trying to borrow his car!"
- If you , you try to get more than what you have already obtained and risk spoiling the situation.
- if push comes to shove
- The expression 'if push comes to shove' refers to what you will do if the situation becomes
critical and you have to take action.
"There should be enough room for everyone, but if push comes to shove we can go to the hotel."
- The expression 'if push comes to shove' refers to what you will do if the situation becomes
critical and you have to take action.
- pushing up the daisies
- To say that someone is pushing up the daisies means
that they are dead.
"Old Johnny Barnes? He's been pushing up the daisies for over 10 years!"
- To say that someone is pushing up the daisies means
that they are dead.
- put/lay one's cards on the table
- If you put your cards on the table, you speak honestly
and openly about your feelings and intentions.
"Let's clean the air and put our cards on the table."
- If you put your cards on the table, you speak honestly
and openly about your feelings and intentions.
- put the cart before the horse
- A person who puts the cart before the horse is doing things in the wrong order or
does not follow the normal sequence of events.
"Building a school before knowing the age of the population is putting the cart before the horse."
- A person who puts the cart before the horse is doing things in the wrong order or
does not follow the normal sequence of events.
- put a damper on (something)
- If someone or something puts a damper on a
situation or event, they do something to make it less successful or enjoyable.
"The party was going great until the neighbours' complaints put a damper on it."
- If someone or something puts a damper on a
situation or event, they do something to make it less successful or enjoyable.
- put one's best foot forward
- If someone puts their best foot forward, they do something as fast as they can.
"It's a long way to the station but if I put my best foot forward I should catch the next train."
- If someone puts their best foot forward, they do something as fast as they can.
- put one's foot down
- To put one's foot down means to exert authority to prevent something from happening.
"The child wanted to sleep on the sofa, but his father put his foot down and made him go to bed."
- To put one's foot down means to exert authority to prevent something from happening.
- put one's foot in one's mouth
- If you put your foot in your mouth, you inadvertently do or
say something that offends, upsets or embarrasses someone else.
"She really put her foot in her mouth when she mentioned the housewarming party - Andy hadn't been invited!"
- If you put your foot in your mouth, you inadvertently do or
say something that offends, upsets or embarrasses someone else.
- put a spanner in the works
- To put a spanner in the works (or throw a (monkey) wrench)
means to cause problems and prevent something from happening as planned.
"A new motorway was planned but a group of ecologists managed to put a spanner in the works."
- To put a spanner in the works (or throw a (monkey) wrench)
means to cause problems and prevent something from happening as planned.
- put it in a nutshell
- We use the expression put it in a nutshell
to say that we are going to describe something briefly, or in as simple a way as possible.
"To put it in a nutshell, the couple's problems are essentially due to a lack of communication."
"To put it in a nutshell, we're in trouble. We've run out of money and the bank has refused us a loan."
- We use the expression put it in a nutshell
to say that we are going to describe something briefly, or in as simple a way as possible.
- put it mildly
- If you put it mildly, you express your opinion or
reaction in a controlled way, without exaggeration.
"She's 3 years old and already able to read. That's promising, to put it mildly!"
- If you put it mildly, you express your opinion or
reaction in a controlled way, without exaggeration.
- put on a brave face
- When confronted with difficulties, if you put on a brave face,
you try to look confident and cheerful and pretend that the situation is not as bad as it is.
"Even in the worst of times she put on a brave face."
- When confronted with difficulties, if you put on a brave face,
you try to look confident and cheerful and pretend that the situation is not as bad as it is.
- put out feelers
- When someone puts out feelers, they try to discover in a discreet
or indirect manner what people think about something they are planning to do.
"The company is putting out feelers to find out how employees might react to a change in working hours."
- When someone puts out feelers, they try to discover in a discreet
or indirect manner what people think about something they are planning to do.
- put (something) on ice
- If a project or plan is put on ice, all further
action has been suspended or postponed for an indefinite period of time.
"Plans for the nuclear power station have been put on ice."
- If a project or plan is put on ice, all further
action has been suspended or postponed for an indefinite period of time.
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