Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[public enemy] {n. phr.} A famous criminal. •/ Al Capone of Chicago used to be Public Enemy Number One during prohibition. /

[public speaker] {n.} A person who speaks to the public. •/ A public speaker must appeal to all kinds of people. /

[puffed up] {adj.} Elated; proud; conceited. •/ Just because Bob inherited some money from his father is no reason for him to act so puffed up. /

[pull]See: LONG HAUL or LONG PULL.

[pull a fast one] {v. phr.} To gain the advantage over one’s opponent unfairly; deceive; trick. •/ When Smith was told by his boss that he might be fired, he called the company president, his father-in-law, and pulled a fast one by having his boss demoted. /

[pull a long face]See: LONG FACE.

[pull date] {n.} , {informal} The date stamped on baked goods, dairy products, or other perishable foods indicating the last day on which they may be sold before they must be removed from the shelves in a retail store. •/ This pie is way past the pull date — small wonder it’s rotten. /

[pull down] {v.} , {informal} 1. To catch (a ball) after a hard run. •/ The outfielder pulled down a long drive to center field. / 2. To earn. •/ Mr. Blake pulls down $500 a week. / •/ John pulled down an A in algebra by studying hard. / Compare: HAUL DOWN.

[pull down about one’s ears]or [pull down around one’s ears]See: ABOUT ONE’S EARS.

[pull in]See: HAUL IN.

[pull in one’s horns]or [draw in one’s horns] {v. phr.} , {informal} 1. To reduce your boasts; calm down from a quarrel; back down on a promise. •/ He said he could beat any man there single-handed, but he pulled in his horns when Jack came forward. / 2. To cut back from one’s usual way of living; reduce spending or activities; save. •/ After the business failed, Father had to pull in his horns. / •/ As one advances in years, it is prudent to pull in one’s horns more and more as to physical activity. /

[pull off] {v.} , {informal} To succeed in (something thought difficult or impossible); do. •/ Ben Hogan pulled off the impossible by winning three golf tournaments in one year. / •/ The bandits pulled off a daring bank robbery. / Compare: PUT ACROSS(2).

[pull one’s chestnuts out of the fire]To do someone else a great favor which they don’t really deserve, doing oneself a disfavor in the process. •/ Small countries often have to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for their more powerful neighbors. /

[pull oneself together] {v. phr.} To become calm after being excited or disturbed; recover self-command; control yourself. •/ It had been a disturbing moment, but he was able to pull himself together. /

[pull oneself up by the bootstraps]or [pull oneself up by one’s own bootstraps] {adv. phr.} To succeed without help; succeed by your own efforts. •/ He had to pull himself up by the bootstraps. /

[pull one’s leg] {v. phr.} , {informal} To get someone to accept a ridiculous story as true; fool someone with a humorous account of something; trick. •/ For a moment, I actually believed that his wife had royal blood. Then I realized he was pulling my leg. / •/ Western cowboys loved to pull a stranger’s leg. / Compare: STRING ALONG. —  [leg-pulling] {n.} •/ Strangers were often fooled by the cowboys' leg-pulling. /

[pull one’s punches] {v. phr.} , {informal} 1. Not to hit as hard as you can. •/ Jimmy pulled his punches and let Paul win the boxing match. / 2. To hide unpleasant facts or make them seem good. — Usually used in the negative. •/ The mayor spoke bluntly; he didn’t pull any punches. / Contrast: STRAIGHT PROM THE SHOULDER.

[pull one’s teeth] {v. phr.} To take power away from; make powerless. •/ The general pulled the teeth of the rebel army by blocking its ammunition supply line. / •/ The student government council was so irresponsible that the principal pulled its teeth. /

[pull one’s weight] {v. phr.} To do your full share of work; do your part. •/ In a small shop, it is important that each man pull his weight. / •/ When Mother was sick in the hospital, Father said each child must pull his own weight. / Compare: WORTH ONE’S SALT.

[pullout] {n.} An evacuation. •/ The pullout of the American military proceeded on schedule. /

[pull out] {v. phr.} 1. To withdraw; leave unceremoniously. •/ The defeated army hastily pulled out of the occupied territories. / 2. To leave (said about trains). •/ The train pulled out of Grand Central Station just as the foreign students got there. / 3. To remove by order; evacuate. •/ Napoleon pulled his beaten troops out of Russia. /

[pull out of a hat] {v. phr.} , {informal} To get as if by magic; invent; imagine. •/ When the introduction to a dictionary tells you how many hours went into its making, these figures were not pulled out of a hat. / •/ Let’s see you pull an excuse out of your hat. /

[pull over] {v.} To drive to the side of the road and stop. •/ The policeman told the speeder to pull over. / •/ Everyone pulled over to let the ambulance pass. /

[pull rank] {v. phr.} , {slang} , {informal} To assert one’s superior position or authority on a person of lower rank as in exacting a privilege or a favor. •/ How come you always get the night duty? — Phineas Leman pulled rank on me. /

[pull something on one] {v. phr.} To perpetrate something prejudicial; deceive. •/ Larry pulled a very dirty trick on Ann when, after going with her for three years, he suddenly married another girl. /

[pull strings]or [pull wires] {v. phr.} , {informal} To secretly use influence and power, especially with people in charge or in important jobs to do or get something; make use of friends to gain your wishes. •/ If you want to see the governor, Mr. Root can pull strings for you. / •/ Jack pulled wires and got us a room at the crowded hotel. / —  [wire-puller] {n.} •/ Bill got a ticket for speeding, but his father is a wire-puller and got it fixed. / —  [wire-pulling] {n.} •/ It took some wire-pulling to get the mayor to come to the party. /

[pull the plug on] {v. phr.} , {slang} To expose (someone’s) secret activities. •/ The citizens' committee pulled the plug on the mayor, and he lost his election. /

[pull the rug out from under] {v. phr.} , {informal} To withdraw support unexpectedly from; to spoil the plans of. •/ Bill thought he would be elected, but his friends pulled the rug out from under him and voted for Vin. / •/ We were planning a vacation, but the baby’s illness pulled the rug out from under us. /

[pull the wool over one’s eyes] {v. phr.} , {informal} To fool someone into thinking well of you; deceive. •/ The businessman had pulled the wool over his partner’s eyes about their financial position. / •/ Bob tried to pull the wool over his teacher’s eyes, but she was too smart for him. /

[pull through] {v.} 1. To help through; bring safely through a difficulty or sudden trouble; save. •/ A generous loan showed the bank’s faith in Father and pulled him through the business trouble. / 2. To recover from an illness or misfortune; conquer a disaster; escape death or failure. •/ By a near-miracle, he pulled through after the smashup. /

[pull together] {v.} To join your efforts with those of others; work on a task together; cooperate. •/ Many men must pull together if a large business is to succeed. / •/ Tim was a good football captain because he always got his teammates to pull together. /

[pull up] {v.} 1. To check the forward motion of; halt; stop. •/ He pulled up his horse at the gate. / 2. To tell (someone) to stop doing something; say (someone) is doing wrong and must stop; scold. •/ Jim talked rudely to Mother, and Father pulled him up. / •/ Ann said in her report that America was discovered in 1634, and the teacher pulled her up. / 3. To stop moving forward; halt. •/ The car slowed down and pulled up at the curb. / 4. To come even with; move up beside. •/ The other boat pulled up alongside us. /

[pull up one’s socks] {v. phr.} To try to do better, either in terms of one’s behavior or at a task one is performing. •/ I’ll have to pull up my socks if I am going to finish my work today. /

[pull up short] {v. phr.} To suddenly stop. •/ He pulled up short in his red car at the corner when he saw a pregnant lady crossing. / •/ When Mark saw that he was hurting Jill’s feelings, he pulled up short and started to talk about something entirely different. /

[pull up stakes] {v. phr.} , {informal} To leave the place where you have been living. •/ We are going to pull up stakes and move to California. / •/ The Jones family pulled up stakes three times in two years. /

[pull wires]See: PULL STRINGS.

[punch]See: BEAT TO THE PUNCH, PACK A PUNCH, PULL ONE’S PUNCHES, TAKE A PUNCH AT.

[punch-drunk] {adj.} 1. Dazed or become dulled in the mind from being hit in the head. •/ He was a punch-drunk boxer who made his living shining shoes. / 2. In a foggy state of mind; groggy. •/ Mary was so thrilled at winning the contest she acted punch-drunk. / •/ Mark was punch-drunk for a few minutes after he fell off his bicycle. /

[puppy love]also [calf love] {n.} , {informal} The first love of very young people. •/ When John and Mary began going around together in junior high school, their parents said it was just puppy love. /

[pure and simple] {adj.} Simply stated; basic. — Follows the noun it modifies and is used for emphasis. •/ The problem, pure and simple, is finding a baby-sitter. / •/ The question, pure and simple, is whether you will support me. / Compare: BOIL DOWN(3).

[purpose]See: AT CROSS PURPOSES, ON PURPOSE, TO ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES.

[purse]See: LINE ONE’S POCKETS also LINE ONE’S PURSE.

[purse strings] {n.} Care or control of money. •/ Dad holds the purse strings in our family. / •/ The treasurer refused to let go of the club’s purse strings. /