Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[pill]See: BITTER PILL.

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

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

[pimple]See: GOOSE BUMPS or GOOSE PIMPLES.

[pin]See: ON PINS AND NEEDLES.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[piper]See: PAY THE PIPER.

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

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

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

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

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

[pitch]See: WILD PITCH.

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

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

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

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

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